No Wand, No Magic, No Problem
by Fan-of-Insert-Sues
Summary: "'Ma'am, where is your wand' The woman gave a cold smile in response and shrugged her shoulders. 'I don't have one.' Silence greeted this statement...'" And with those four words, the lives of the Boy-Who-Lived and a particular Potions Master would be irrevocably changed. Stronger Harry. Guardian Lily. SSxOC- Light Mary Sue warning for the squeamish.
1. Chapter 1

(A/n) The idea for this story has been bouncing around my head for awhile. I figured I would start on it and see where it takes me. It takes place during the fourth book.

Disclaimer: All characters, names, places, etc associated with the world of Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Original characters belong to me.

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Chapter 1

Boots were pounding hard against the stone floor, bringing up centuries old dust and debris. The owner of the boots threw a glance over her shoulder while she skidded around a corner. The stone wall of the corner that she had turned exploded a moment later while sparks of red magic faded from view. The woman's breath came in heavy gasps as she ran quickly down one corridor then another, avoiding large chunks of stone that littered the floor and large gaping holes that appeared without warning.

She heard the pounding of several pairs of feet behind her and the inevitable screams as one of her pursuers stumbled down one of the holes. A satisfied smirk danced across her lips as she ducked around another corner and avoided another spell that had been cast her way.

"Dammit! She is too quick!"

She heard one of them yell and she had to fight down the sudden urge to laugh. Wizards indeed… She turned another corner and nimbly jumped over a hole that appeared in the floor. Torches were lighting all by themselves, following her ascent from the bottom of the five thousand year old underground tomb back to the world of the living. She ducked under a series of sharp blades that had erupted from the walls and darted to the right, sandwiching herself against the wall as a large block of stone fell from the ceiling with a shuddering thud.

Her heart racing a mile a minute, she reached down carefully to feel the object that she was risking everything for still safe in the pack at her side. She squeezed herself out of the tiny space that she had found herself in and continued to run. She heard more shouts and screams behind her, given to the fact that her pursuers were not as agile in avoiding the blades and traps, then a distinct popping noise.

"Cheaters…" She murmured as one of her pursuers Apparated in front of her and waved his wand. Yellow sparks flew toward the woman only for it to bounce harmlessly off of what looked like black robes that she had pulled up to defend herself. A glint of black scales caught the torch's light as she threw the hem of the robe aside. The wizard stared in surprise before he moved his wand to cast another spell.

A loud bang echoed off the walls of the corridor and the wizard jerked back. Shock registered on the man's face as he glanced down at the red that blossomed through the cloth at his shoulder. His wand slipped from his grasp and clattered across the floor while he fell to his knees. Smoke was wafting up from the barrel of the gun she held and she didn't hesitate to keep it aimed his way as she skirted past him and continued to run.

Slipping the gun back in the holster at her side, she kept on running up one corridor and another before she emerged into a high spaced chamber. She skidded to a stop at the edge of the doorway and glanced down at the floor. It was a five foot drop to the floor of the chamber and covering the floor were the scuttling and slithering forms of scarab beetles and snakes. The creatures crawled over one another as a constant mass of shining black shells and dark brown scales.

Suppressing a shudder, the woman eyed the levitating platforms that were steadily making there way in various directions about the chamber. How did it go again? First jump then wait ten seconds then jump to the left then straight, wait five seconds… She went over the sequence again and again in her mind as she heard the scuffling sounds of her pursuers making their way past the traps further back in the corridor. She glanced behind her to catch a glimpse of two wizards racing up the corridor. "There she is!"

She flashed a smile at them and waggled her fingers in goodbye, just as the first platform floated by, and then she jumped. The moment she jumped, the snakes and the beetles reacted at once and they rose up like a dark wave in an attempt to grab the woman. She sailed across the space and landed in a crouch on the floating platform. The moment her feet touched the floating block of stone, the dark mass wavered and settled back down to the floor. She waited ten seconds before she jumped to the next platform that floated then to the next before waiting exactly five seconds and jumping to the next platform. With each jump, the beetles and snakes rose up to grab her but fell away when her feet touched a platform. She was steadily making her way up toward the only exit of the tomb when she heard a scream of pure terror from down below.

She glanced down to find that one of the wizards had missed his aim when he had jumped toward a platform in an attempt to follow. Spells were firing every which way as the wizard tried to fend off the creatures that swarmed over him like a black wave. His screams rose up toward her and she looked away from the sight of flesh and bone being eaten away, continuing to make her way toward the exit. The other wizard was carefully jumping from one platform to another but he did not know the exact sequence and he watched helplessly while the woman jumped to the last platform and then to the ledge that bore the exit.

She did not look back as she ran up the last flight of steps, the crack of light up ahead giving way to the hope that she was almost home free. She climbed the last few steps, avoiding the last few traps of trick stairways and flying blades, before she emerged through the opening and out into the painfully bright sunshine. She took in a deep breath as she kept a hand on her pack and the other on the butt of her gun. She was aware of a strange noise up ahead of her and she looked up to see a man standing about ten feet away.

He was clapping his hands as he stared at the woman, his blond hair, streaked with grey, falling over his brow and around the rim of his black shades. He was dressed in white robes and his white boots sunk beneath the sand as he walked toward her, still clapping. "Bravo, my dear, bravo. You certainly are talented aren't you?"

The woman glared at the wizard as he stopped and folded his arms across his chest. "You have successfully managed to procure a very ancient and powerful artifact from an even more dangerous tomb. Virtually unscathed no less and yet not one of my men have emerged. I dare say you do know how to make a wizard look bad."

"Vladimir, how wonderful to see you here, I take it you are enjoying the Egyptian weather?" The woman had straightened but her hand did leave the butt of her gun. The man was aware of this and his gaze moved from the holster of her weapon to the black shorts that were worn beneath the black robe. A smile touched his lips as his eyes followed the length of her tanned legs marred with fresh bruises and scratches.

"The view is rather enticing." He responded in turn and his smile grew at the sight of the scowl that now adorned the woman's face. She had hidden the pack that bore the artifact beneath her robe and her free hand now gripped the butt of her second gun. The man saw this and the smile fell. "That would not be wise my dear. You may be very talented but those talents can only go so far in the field you would be battling."

"Oh of that I am very much aware." She gave an easy smile that did not reach her eyes. "So if you will excuse me, I will just be on my way."

The man reached into his white robes and withdrew his wand slowly, almost patiently. "Now, now, my sweet, there is no need to rush. Surely you have some time to spare." He kept his wand aimed toward her chest though from the glint of black scales that adorned her torso like a chainmail, he knew that a spell cast head on would not have the desired effect.

The woman did not look away from the wizard as she relaxed and moved away from the entrance of the tomb, that was actually a slit of an opening among some stone mesas. The smile on her face remained as she continued to move away from the man and stopped in front of a lone boulder. The man tightened the grip on his wand even when the last man that had been pursuing the woman finally emerged from the entrance of the tomb and a few others Apparated beside the white robed wizard. They all stood behind him, waiting for their orders as they eyed the woman.

The woman lifted a boot and held it there, just above the surface of the boulder. The man saw this and his wand wavered. He could see the symbols that danced just above the surface of the rock, various spells that he recognized. How did the woman know that they were there? He instantly lowered his wand and took a step back. "You wouldn't…" He said but without much confidence.

The smile on the woman's face grew before she moved her leg back and kicked the boulder. The rock glowed a fierce bright red as the spells that protected the nearby pyramid erupted from the contact. All at once, figures Apparated around the small group with their wands raised. The white robed man shouted a curse to the woman before he turned on the spot and Disapparated from view. The other wizards were not as quick as the spells that shot from the wands that surrounded them paralyzed the men in their tracks.

The woman was just about to turn and run away, while the workers of the Gringotts Bank were distracted, when another wizard materialized in front of her, his wand at the ready. He blinked in surprise at the sight of her before a smile fell across his lips. He was tall with long red hair tied back into a pony tail and a dragon's fang hanging from one ear. He was dressed not in robes but in form fitting clothes that looked to be a mix of leather and dragon hide. "Well hello there. I do believe that you've been trespassing on Gringotts property. Would you mind coming quietly? Your friends have been putting up a bit of a ruckus."

Her frown was instant as her hands fell away from her guns, her black robe falling forward to hide them from view. "I am not associated with them." She growled as she held her hands up in surrender. She was aware of the other Gringotts wizards behind her and escape was not an option at this point for one such as her. Sighing inwardly, she stood quietly as the red headed wizard bound her with ropes that emerged from the tip of his wand.

"Well, even if you aren't, you're still trespassing. Where is your wand located?"

She eyed the wizard with a blank look as her hip swayed to the side. The pack at her hip twitched in response and the artifact that had been poking her side disappeared. The man noticed the motion of her hips and reached to grab the black robe. "Please pardon my intrusion but we don't want any hidden suprises."

He smiled at her, trying to be charming, while his fingers touched the scales that lined the outside of the robe. He blinked in surprise, studying her robe curiously but said nothing. He pulled the robe aside to find not a wand but the holsters of two guns at her hips, a brown leather bag and bruised and scratched legs.

Slightly confused at the sight of the guns, he looked at woman and took in a breath. "Ma'am, where is your wand?"

The woman gave a cold smile in response and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't have one."

Silence greeted this statement and then the wizard groaned. This was going to be one of those days, he could feel it…


	2. Chapter 2

(A/n) See first chapter for disclaimer. Originial characters belong to me.

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Chapter 2

Boots tapped against a tiled floor, a rhythmic beat that did little to help pass the time. The owner of the boots sat on an old wooden bench in an old cell that was covered with binding and protective spells. Not that it would have made a difference for one such as her, she would have done just fine in a regular Muggle cell.

Heaving a sigh, she crossed her legs and, out of habit, went to grab one of her guns only to reach air. She groaned and reached up to rub her forehead instead. That's right; they had taken her guns as well as her other belongings. She felt so naked without her weapons. The wizards had their wands, she had her guns. It wasn't magic but it was effective in defending one's self against the undead and cursed creatures that roamed a lot of the tombs and dungeons she frequented.

She uncrossed her legs and rubbed her hands over the healing scratches and bruises on her thighs. The black scales of her trench coat caught the light and reflected different shades of grey and silver. She thoughtfully reached over to her fingers over the scales; at least they let her keep her clothing. It was actually a result of her handiwork, a dragon's hide with the scales still intact, sewn onto a Muggle trench coat. Even after death, the natural defenses of a dragon's scales against magic remained and it proved to be her most valuable defense against a wizard's spell. She released her coat and crossed her arms, not all spells of course, but it gave her a leg up over the opposition when trying to make a quick escape.

"Ma'am?"

She looked up to find the tall, red haired wizard from earlier standing outside of her cell door. He was smiling as he tapped on the door with his wand a few times before it swung open. He entered and the door swung closed of its own accord. The woman remained seated on the bench while a slender dark brow rose in question. "Am I free to go?" She asked, a trace of an accent curling around her words.

The wizard laughed in response as he waved his wand and conjured a straight backed, wooden chair out of thin air. It spun once then fell to the floor with a thud. "No, I'm afraid not. I still have a few questions for you, the ones that you had been avoiding when I interrogated you earlier."

The woman sniffed but did not respond while the wizard took a seat in the wooden chair across from her. He stuck his wand in his belt and leaned forward, studying the strange woman who sat with a bored look. He ran a hand through his red hair while he took in a breath. This woman was terribly frustrating and was no one like he had ever encountered before, and he had met a lot of people in his career.

"First question, who are you?"

The woman had been staring at the ceiling with that bored look and her eyes remained there as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. "I told you, I'm a traveler. I'm traveling through Egypt at the moment and was enjoying it before you took me prisoner."

The wizard laughed in response and leaned back in his chair. "Just a traveler huh? You must expect a lot to happen from the looks of those Muggle weapons you carry with you."

The woman flicked her eyes his way, he noted she had very peculiar green eyes, before a smile appeared. "A lady who travels alone can never be too careful."

The wizard laughed again and shook his head. "Of course not and you just happened to be traveling through an area with a newly discovered tomb?"

The woman shrugged in response and turned her gaze back to the ceiling while her booted feet began another rhythmic tapping. "From what I understand, that tomb was beyond Gringotts' jurisdiction so you can't peg me for trespassing."

The wizard coughed in response, not acknowledging the truth of those words. "Yes, well… What about those other men with you?"

"I told you before I am not associated with them." She closed her eyes while her feet tapped away. "They are grave robbers, your common run-of-the-mill thieves. Whatever they were planning, you will have to ask them. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

He didn't quite believe her, he sensed there was more to what she was telling but he never was quite skilled at reading the minds of others. Besides, the wizards that she was speaking of were refusing to talk as well. Right now, Gringotts had nothing to hold these people with because not one of them had any kind of item that would tie them to the newly discovered tomb. They were doing background checks for any possible warrants or misdemeanors for those wizards except for the puzzle that sat in front of him right now. They could not bring up anything about her.

Leaning forward again, he studied her with interest. "So you do not have anything that is even remotely associated with that new tomb?"

The woman looked at him and a light frown touched her features. "You have my bag; all of my things are in there."

Scratching his head, he laughed and gave a nod. All they had found in her very Muggle looking bag were some food items, two bottles of water and various other items that included a wallet (with a passport that explained the origin of her accent), Muggle money, and some lip balm. Deciding to try it from another vantage point, he leaned closer toward her. "What about who you are?"

The woman's green eyes focused on him and he noticed that there was something eerie about them. He didn't know what but whatever it was, it made him uncomfortable. "You had already asked that question." She said while her feet ceased in their tapping and silence fell.

The wizard rubbed his jaw as he tried to gather his thoughts. "From what we could gather from your American Muggle passport, it stated your last name as Craft. You aren't listed on the any of the American records of registered witches with that last name."

The woman opened her mouth to reply but another voice had cut in from beyond the cell door. "That is because Mr. Weasley, she is not a witch."

They both glanced at the cell door to find an older man standing on the other side of the bars. He was tall but looked even taller with the pointed blue wizard's cap on his head. He wore deep blue robes and his long silver beard was tucked into the belt to keep it out of the way. His twinkling blue eyes were studying the young woman with interest from behind half moon spectacles. The woman had paled at the sight of this wizard and she promptly looked away, her frown growing deep.

The older wizard only smiled and he looked at the red haired wizard that sat across from her. "Bill Weasley, I take it that Gringotts has been treating you well?"

The red haired wizard named Bill returned the smile, though somewhat puzzled, and got out of his chair to open the cell door. "Professor, what a nice surprise." It truly was a surprise; this was the first time that he had ever seen Albus Dumbledore here in Egypt and exactly why he was here, Bill had no idea. He stood back to let the Headmaster of his old school enter and he folded his arms with a thoughtful smile. "Gringotts has been treating me well. It has been a worthwhile career move." He looked between Dumbledore and the woman. "I have the feeling though that you are not here to visit me."

Dumbledore wandered in and sat down in the chair that Bill had abandoned. He studied the woman and gave a nod in acknowledgment to the comment that Bill had made. "No, I'm afraid not, though it is nice to see you in good health." He turned his attention back to the woman and smiled, his snow white beard lifting a fraction. "I was informed by a very good friend of mine that this young woman was visiting here. I am rather glad to see that she had not yet left." He paused while he tilted his head and gazed at the woman over his spectacles. "Hello Lumina, it has been awhile."

The woman named Lumina paled even more and she hesitated a bit before she looked at Dumbledore with those peculiar green eyes. "Hello Albus…" She said rather carefully, her gaze guarded.

Bill noticed the tension that held Lumina's form and a frown twitched across his face. "Professor, I take it you know who this woman is?"

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling as he gave a nod. "Indeed I do. This woman is Lumina Peacecraft, the daughter of a very dear friend of mine."

Bill's frowned deepened at the sound of that last name. Peacecraft? Why did that name ring a bell? Trying to recall from where he had heard that name before, he moved a little closer to Dumbledore. "You said she wasn't witch?"

"I'm sitting right here so please don't talk like I can't hear you." Lumina growled as she thrust a hand into her hair. Her hair was as dark as a raven's wing save for a single strip of white that started at her forehead and mixed in with the dark hair, looking like a skunk's stripe. She was beginning to look rather agitated; this unexpected visit was getting her on edge. This was not what she needed right now. "I'm a Squib, you won't find me registered any where as a witch." She huffed while a hint of red appeared on her cheeks.

Bill had the feeling it wasn't a blush. "Oh." He said and fell silent. That would explain why she didn't have a wand, he thought it was because she had lost it or something. Dumbledore, in the mean time, had popped a piece of candy into his mouth and was looking very relaxed, as if sitting in the middle of a cell were an everyday occurrence. Uncomfortable silence had fallen among them before Dumbledore clapped his hands and got to his feet, the sudden noise making the other two people jump.

"Well then, I do believe that we should take our leave. Unless of course there are any more questions that you need to ask of Ms. Peacecraft?" He turned his blue eyes to the other wizard. Bill looked at the scowling woman then to Dumbledore and shook his head. "No sir, there isn't anything else. She's free to go."

Dumbledore smiled and glanced at the woman. "Well, I suggest we gather your belongings Lumina. Don't want to forget anything."

Lumina eyed the older wizard with that scowl that seemed ever present on her face. She did not move to get up and her arms remained crossed beneath her breasts. "I need ALL of my belongings and I would like to see them here in front of me before I go anywhere with _you_."

"Fair enough." Dumbledore's smile did not waver from the woman's sudden aggressive tone and he glanced at Bill as if nothing were amiss. "Mr. Weasley, if you would be so kind?"

The red haired wizard gave a nod and waved his wand with a muttered word. The next moment Lumina's brown leather bag and holstered guns appeared at her feet. She reached down to grab the bag and looked inside to make sure everything was in order. She then grabbed the belt of her holsters and slipped the belt on, the guns resting on her hips where they belonged. She got to her feet and adjusted her trench coat, the dragon scales glinting in the light. Whatever was going through her mind she did not say and her face was set in that scowl as she gave a nod to Dumbledore. "All right."

"Wonderful." Dumbledore turned away from Lumina and faced Bill Weasley. "Bill, it was a pleasure to see you again. I hear that the Quidditch World Cup will be a big turn out this year. Will you be joining your family?"

Bill's eyes did not leave Lumina as he gave a nod. "Yes, I'll be heading back home this summer." He was a little confused as to who exactly this Lumina Peacecraft was and why her last name bothered him so much. And why was Dumbledore here to retrieve her? What business did he have with her? This entire situation was more than a little confusing and he couldn't help but wonder.

"Good, good. Well, we'd best be going. That Portkey has a time limit and it will do us no good to miss it. Bill, enjoy the visit with your family and send them my best." Dumbledore's gaze traveled back to Lumina, his blue eyes noting the peculiar green of hers. "Are you ready Lumina?"

The woman only grunted in response, her green gaze glaring at the red haired wizard as she went to follow behind Dumbledore. Bill Weasely could only stare in turn as he watched the strange woman leave the cell with the Headmaster of Hogwarts. There was something odd about her and it wasn't because she was a Squib. He sighed as he went to follow the professor and the woman out; it did no good to worry about it. Whatever it was, he was sure Dumbledore knew how to handle it and if anyone could be trusted in regards to the matters of strange things, it was Albus Dumbledore.


	3. Chapter 3

(A/n) See first chapter for disclaimer. Originial characters belong to me.

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Chapter 3

"Why are you here?"

Tanned hands were balled tightly into fists, just inches above the dark handles of the holstered guns that rested against the slender hips of the woman. She was standing opposite of the tall wizard with the sweeping silver hair and beard, who was smiling serenely down at her as if nothing were amiss.

"I had received word that you would be here. I thought it would be a good a time as any to try and meet with you. You are a surprisingly difficult person to keep track of Lumina." Dumbledore's blue eyes were studying the woman named Lumina Peacecraft. He noted the dark circles under the eerie green eyes, the unnaturally white stripe that stood out like a ghost in her raven dark hair. She looked terribly exhausted. His eyes had focused on hers, which were currently glaring down at the cobbled stoned street of the alleyway that they were standing in. She was refusing to look him in the eye. His smile faded and he let loose a tiny sigh when she did not respond to his comment. "You know why I am here…"

Lumina still said nothing in response and he took a step closer to her, his gaze focusing on her eyes. "Lumina, look at me."

She did not lift her eyes to meet his and stubbornly turned her head away, the white part of hair falling forward to hide eyes face from view. The infinite patience that Dumbledore kept in store ebbed away slightly and when he spoke next, his voice was a tad stern. "Look at me."

Lumina winced visibly at the tone and she stood straight, her eyes locking with his as she clenched her fists tighter. Dumbledore stared into those green depths and emotion grew tight in his chest. Her eyes could best be described as bearing a subtle glow that made the green stand out like emeralds. Her pupils were ghostly silver that were not a natural occurrence in any Wizard, Muggle or Squib.

She saw the sympathy in his blue eyes and she stumbled back from him as if she had been slapped. "Don't!" Her chest heaved as she whirled away from him and shook her head. "Don't give me that look."

"Why didn't you contact me sooner?" He moved to follow her, his blue robes sweeping along the street. "You are still like this... why didn't you come to me for help?"

"I don't need your help. That last time you helped…" She trailed off as she reached up grasp the large, heavy silver coin that hung about her neck. She took in a shuddering breath and shook her head as if trying to rid herself of any bad memories.

Dumbledore frowned slightly at the comment and a look of pain flickered across his features before it disappeared. He cleared his throat. "It's been ten years and it has not changed since the last time we had met. You can't keep doing this by yourself, not when we don't know exactly how it happened in the first place." He kept his gaze on her, seeing the conflicting emotions that wavered across her face.

"I'm so close… I know it. I'm so close to finding the remedy for this. All of the signs and clues that I had found have pointed the way. I've gotten this far on my own, I can do this." She whispered, more to herself than to him. Her hand remained tightly grasped on the heavy silver coin, gripping it as if it were her only lifeline.

Dumbledore lowered his head and reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder. "Let me help you Lumina. I had sworn to your mother that I would watch over you and protect you. You wouldn't let me then but I am asking to please let me help now. I owe that much to you and her."

Lumina glanced back at the Headmaster, the scowl that had been present on her face easing somewhat. He took it as a good sign and he gave her an encouraging smile. "I want to help finish what your mother had started, to undo that which your father had done."

At the mention of her father, the blood drained away from her face and she shivered in spite of the warm desert heat that blanketed the alleyway. Silence fell between them but it was comfortable silence. After a moment, Lumina's shoulders slumped as if the weight of everything she had endured finally took hold. She moved away from Dumbledore's grasp and turned to face him properly. "All right…" She gave a weary nod while her eyes remained on the ground. "All right…"

Dumbledore felt himself relax, the fact that she even agreed lifting his spirits considerably. The corners of his silver beard lifted as he smiled and he clasped his hands behind his back. "Thank you Lumina." He said, knowing the heaviness of her decision of placing her trust in him in the first place. After all, that last time they had seen each other it had not been on pleasant terms. "Well, I suggest we should head back. I had arranged for a Portkey to take us to England."

Lumina could only stare then two red patches appeared on her tanned cheeks. "England? I had thought we would be going to the States, you know, _my _home?" She vowed that she would never set foot back in that particular part of Great Britain, not after all that had happened.

Dumbledore understood well enough and he sighed heavily. He began to walk up the alleyway that led away from the entrance of the Egyptian branch of Gringotts Bank. He followed the alley until they emerged onto a street in the city of Cairo that housed the Egyptian wizards' marketplace. Lumina followed behind him, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of red. "I know Lumina but I can not leave my post at Hogwarts as much as I would want to."

He stopped next to a stall that was displaying all kinds of interesting forms of fruits and nuts. He caught the eye of the vendor and pointed to a particular nut before holding up four fingers. The vendor smiled and bobbed his head before he took out his wand and conjured a paper bag. He filled the bag with the nuts that Dumbledore had picked and handed the bag to him in exchange for a few bronze coins. He kept on walking while Lumina followed behind, a dazed look on her face. "I can't just go to England, certain people will remember. What my father did-."

"What your father did was against the law especially since it had been a crime against you." Dumbledore stopped and glanced back at the young woman, his blue eyes studying her face. "However, you are not to be held accountable for his mistakes. He broke the law, not you."

Lumina gripped the silver coin again and closed her eyes. "What happened to me _is_ the result of what he did. I'm a walking reminder to them… I can't face that." She shook her head. "All because my father could not handle the thought of having a Squib for a daughter…" It was bad enough that she could never be a part of the Wizarding world. Because of what had her father had done, it set her even further away from even being part of the Muggle world. Often times, she truly felt like a ghost, never fitting in anywhere and wandering from place to place.

"That is why I am offering you a position at Hogwarts." Dumbledore had cracked a nut between his thumb and forefinger before promptly placing the fruit of it in his mouth. He chewed contently, his silver beard bouncing off his chest. "You will be safe away from the general public and that of any Ministry officials. You will also be safe from those who are after you." He glanced her way, his eyes taking in her strange mix of Muggle and Wizard clothing.

At this, Lumina truly blushed and for the first time a genuine smile appeared on her face, although small. Over her years of traipsing through dungeons and tombs, she had managed to get the attention of some rather unsavory groups of people, both Muggle and Wizard alike. Though she was not skilled in any manner of magic, she was very good with firearms and incredibly sharp at solving riddles and puzzles, especially since it helped in raiding said cursed tombs and dungeons for treasure and old magical artifacts. The men from earlier were the most prominent group of tomb raiders in the wizarding world, the white robed wizard Vladimir being their boss. The fact that she had been escaping from them for the past five years with treasures they had wanted drove said wizard crazy.

"I can't work in a magical school Albus…" Her smile had faded a little as her thoughts went back to the situation at hand and she took in a breath. "What would I do? Keep my guns polished in case someone needed protection against undead creatures? Find some undiscovered tomb on the school grounds? If you haven't noticed, my particular talents aren't of any use to the general wizarding world, not even to the Muggle world come to think of it."

Dumbledore laughed, his eyes crinkling in the corners. "Perhaps not but you have been living in the Muggle world for over a decade. You have a better knowledge and understanding of their world, knowledge that would help students to have a better understanding of Muggles in general."

Lumina blinked as she stopped walking and stared at her mother's old friend. "I get your point… but what exactly would I be doing?"

Dumbledore popped another nut into his mouth as he stopped with her and chewed thoughtfully. "I haven't worked out the details yet. In all honesty, I wasn't expecting for you to be so agreeable." He smiled at her and started to walk again. She followed after him, avoiding a wizard who was pushing a cart full of cauldrons.

"I'm glad that I was able to catch you off guard then." She replied in turn and Dumbledore looked back at her to find her smiling once again. He was beginning to like this trusting side to her. They continued to walk in companionable silence and then Dumbledore asked the one thing that Lumina hoped he wouldn't.

"Will you visit your mother? It has been too long…"

She remained silent while the silver coin that rested just above her heart suddenly grew warm. She took in a shuddering breath as she reached to grab it and to still erratic beat that her heart had began. "Not yet… I will… just not yet."

Dumbledore gave a nod, leaving it at that. Silence passed between them again and a thoughtful frown touched his face. "Lumina, exactly what have you been doing with all of that treasure you've found?"

A gentle laugh escaped and she looked over at the Headmaster of Hogwarts with an even smile. "Let's just say there is a very friendly and very _private_ wizarding bank tucked away in Switzerland that do not ask a lot of questions and who are more than happy to do business with a Squib."

Dumbledore cocked a brow and, knowing that she was all she was going to say, shrugged. He glanced at the paper bag and held it out to her to share. "You really should try these. They are delicious."

"I'll pass thank you."

He smiled at her while they turned a corner into another deserted alley. "I must say Lumina, living in the States all of these years, you have adopted their way of speaking quite well. If I had not known you before, I would have never guessed you were born in England."

Lumina laughed gently and shook her head. "Albus, my mother was American remember?"

Dumbledore stopped in front of a garbage can and looked around. He spotted a discarded beer bottle and picked it up. He pulled out a gold pocket watch from his robes to look at the time. "Hmm… yes, I forgot that little fact. Your mother had lived in England for so long. Now that I think about it, she did have a hint of that accent when she spoke. I suppose no matter where you are you can never truly leave the place you came from."

Lumina only hummed in reply to this and nodded, oh how those words rang so true. Dumbledore held out the bottle to her and studied her over his spectacles. "We have another few minutes before the Portkey activates. We will have to go through customs once we reach the Ministry and make sure that your registered status is up to date."

She grunted as she reached out to place a hand on the bottle. She was well aware of what she would have to go through once she crossed the borders. It was a sad fact of being a Squib and a tad bit demeaning. Most of the wizarding world considered her kind to be like second class citizens. All Squibs were advised by the wizarding government to make a life in the Muggle world, seeing as it would be easier on all parties involved. Most did, Lumina chose not to. She may be a Squib but that did not mean that she did not have the right to live in the world she had originally been born to.

It was then that she felt tug just behind her navel and the next moment she was being pulled through a vortex of high winds and swirling colors. Dumbledore's shoulder was banging against hers from the speed at which they were going. Then just as quick as it began it was over and they were crouching in an alleyway that was very different from the one they had left. Dumbledore tucked the bottle into his robes as he straightened and smiled at her. "Shall we?"

"Lead on." She replied as she straightened then followed the Headmaster out of the alleyway and to the bustling shops and busy shopping wizard folk of Diagon Alley.


	4. Chapter 4

(A/n) Thank you for the reviews! It makes me happy to know some people are somewhat interested in this story.

Disclaimer: See first chapter. Original Characters belong to me. The descriptions for the Ministry of Magic can be found in the fifth book.

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Chapter 4

Since Lumina could not Apparate in any way, shape or form, Dumbledore had been all too kind in escorting her through the streets of London to head to where the Ministry was located. Lumina had to admit it was hard to keep a straight face while riding in the subway. It didn't help that Muggles kept throwing funny looks in their direction and the older man sitting beside her continued to hum some random tune while twiddling his thumbs. By the time they had gotten off at their stop and had made their way to the visitor's entrance of the Ministry, Lumina's face was twitching with a smile that she tried but failed to hide.

"Now what may I ask is so funny?" said Dumbledore while an amused sparkle appeared in his blue eyes.

Lumina could only shake her head as she bit her lips and cleared her throat. She had not had the urge to laugh in so long and all because of the man standing next to her. Finally taking in a breath, she only smiled as she folded her arms. "I've been away too long. I had forgotten the kind of reaction the general Muggle public has for seeing wizards in robes."

Dumbledore chuckled as they stepped into the visitor's entrance, which was an old red telephone box that stood against a heavily graffittied wall. While Dumbledore busied himself with the out of order phone, Lumina found her thoughts drifting back to the artifact that she had risked life and limb over. It had been a particularly tricky one to get, the tomb itself had been so ancient and the traps and curses so complex. It had taken her over two years to fully translate the old maps that had belonged to her father in order to locate the tomb and to find out what dangers awaited her once found. It had all been worth it, the artifact was safe and she could finally concentrate on her own particular situation.

"Here we are, put this on." Dumbledore broke her out of her reverie and she looked down to see him holding out a silver, square badge with delicate lettering that read:

_Lumina Peacecraft_

_Renewing citizenship_

She took the badge and pinned it to the black tank top that she wore beneath the dragon's scale chain mail that usually covered her torso. That part of her outfit was currently tucked away in her bag. As soon as she had put on the badge, a cool female voice spoke within the telephone box. "Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present any and all items for inspection at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."

The floor of the phone box began to shudder and then they were slowly sinking into the ground, a dull grinding the only noise that penetrated the dark and silence. Lumina could see nothing but she was quite aware of Dumbledore humming softly to himself and bouncing on the balls of his feet beside her. An odd choking noise emitted from her throat and she coughed back the giggle that was trying to come through. The humming paused for a moment and she had the distinct feeling that he was smiling at her. She was glad that the darkness hid her blush.

After about a minute, light appeared at their feet and steadily rose up until they were momentarily blinded by the sudden onslaught. "The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day," said the woman's voice as the door to the phone box sprang open. Dumbledore stepped out, followed by Lumina, into a very long and splendid looking hall with a highly polished, dark wood floor. The walls on each side had many gilded fireplaces from which various people were emerging and disappearing to wherever their business took them.

Halfway down the hall there was a grand fountain that depicted several golden statues with water spouting from the ends of ears, wands, etc, to the pool below. Lumina followed behind Dumbledore as they wound their way passed Ministry workers and other visitors toward a desk with a large sign that read security. Behind the desk, a rather grumpy looking wizard in steel grey robes looked up as they approached. His eyes studied Lumina with apparent suspicion before they flicked over to Dumbledore.

Recognizing the Headmaster of Hogwarts, who was a regular visitor to the Ministry, the wizard straightened at once and gave a nod in welcome. "Headmaster Dumbledore, welcome. On business?"

Dumbledore smiled at the wizard as he clasped his hands behind his back and returned the nod. "I am escorting this lovely visitor." He said as he gestured to Lumina.

The guard eyed Lumina from head to toe, that trace of suspicion flaring back up in his eyes. "Step over here." He pointed to a space beside his desk while he held up thin, golden rod. Lumina groaned inwardly as she walked closer to the wizard and held out her arms so that he could scan her properly. The wizard moved the rod up and down her front and back. The rod was still until it waved over the large, silver coin that hung around Lumina's neck. It began to vibrate terribly and it emitted a high whistle that made the wizard frown.

He set the rod aside and held out his hand. "May I see that necklace please?"

A hint of fear flickered across her peculiar green eyes and she hesitated for just a moment. She glanced over at Dumbledore, who gave a nod, and then she sighed and took off the coin. She handed it to the wizard and took a few deep breaths to calm her beating heart. While the wizard checked the coin for any dark magic, Dumbledore noticed that Lumina's form was emitting a very faint, silver mist. The air around her dropped a degree or two in temperature and her skin was turning slightly pale.

After a few moments, though it felt forever to Lumina, the wizard gave a sniff and handed the coin back to Lumina after finding that it was only a protective charm on the necklace that had set off the rod. She took the necklace and put it around her neck, at once feeling much better. The wizard gave her funny look as he set the rod aside. "Are you all right? You don't look too well."

Lumina only grunted and gave a nod as she kept her eyes closed and her hand firmly clasped around the coin. The wizard gave a nod and pointed to her bag and her holsters. "Your items will need to be left here."

Lumina complied and handed her leather bag, emptying it of its very Muggle contents, her guns emptied of bullets (which the wizard eyed with open fascination since he had never seen a Muggle "wand" before) and emptied the very Muggle change that always managed to build up in her pockets. The wizard stared at the strange money for a moment then blinked and looked up at her. "Do you have a wand?"

Lumina muttered as she shook her head. "No, I'm a Squib."

The wizard nodded, seeing as it explained everything, and started to tag her belongings. "I'll hold your items here until you return. Enjoy your visit to the Ministry." He looked at Dumbledore, who had been standing quietly throughout the entire exchange, and nodded again. "Headmaster, wonderful to see you again."

Dumbledore smiled and waved to the wizard before he took Lumina by the arm and led her past the gold gates to the smaller hall beyond. They went toward one of the lines that were gathered around grilled lifts and entered one. Lumina rubbed her forehead, feeling the coming on of a tension headache right behind her eyes. The grill began to ascend, every time they passed a level, the cool female voice from before would announce the level at which they were stopping.

When the lift stopped at level five, the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Dumbledore stepped off the lift and Lumina followed suit. They walked past cubicles that over flowed with paperwork while memos that looked like paper airplanes flew above their heads. They continued to walk until they reached an area that was crowded from wizards that looked to be from every part of the country.

"Here we are." Dumbledore pointed to a several desks that bore a sign that read Citizenship of Wizarding _Jus Soli. _There were a few wizards and witches in line, all waiting to reinstate their status as citizens of the wizarding world of Great Britain. Dumbledore smiled at her and gave her arm an affectionate pat. "I will leave you to it then. I have some business to attend to with the minister. I will meet you beside the fountain in an hour."

Lumina gave a nod and watched as Dumbledore's tall form retreated back into the crowd and beyond the cubicles. She closed her eyes and eased out a gentle breath as she waited her turn. The line moved slowly and it wasn't until twenty minutes later that an elderly witch in sunflower yellow robes called out to her. "Next please!"

Lumina stepped forward while the witch gave her a quick glance over and then focused on the long piece of parchment in front of her. "State your name please."

"Lumina Peacecraft."

The witch wrote down Lumina's name, her quill scratching against the rough paper. "State your registered status."

"Squib." Lumina replied in turn as she watched the witch write that down beside her name.

"State your current country of residence." The witch said in a rather bored tone while her her quill hovered beside the word Squib.

"United States of America."

The witch's quill moved over the parchment and then she gestured to a strange golden instrument on the left side of her desk. "Please place a finger on the tray."

Lumina reached out her left hand to place her forefinger on the tray of the instrument. There was a click and a sharp prick against her finger. A single drop of blood landed on the gold tray and was absorbed into the metal. Another click and a whir and the tray printed out a single white slip of paper. The witch ripped the paper off and read the info that was printed. She hesitated a moment before a brow rose in question. "Lumina Peacecraft, daughter of Lawrence and Ceverina Peacecraft?" The witch's eyes glanced up from the paper and studied her with open curiosity.

Lumina said nothing as she nodded, waiting for the woman to hurry up. The witch studied Lumina's peculiar green eyes and then a look of sympathy appeared. The witch tutted to herself as she shook her head and wrote down on her parchment. A few moments of silence and then the witch pulled out another piece of parchment and tapped her wand on it three times. Blue ink appeared in cursive writing, stating Lumina's name, registered status, her parents' and grandparents' names, and the Ministry of Magic seal of approval for renewed citzenship.

"Here you are dear." The witch's tone had suddenly grown more kind, as if she were talking to a child. "Your citizenship has been reinstated. As a Squib, you are well aware of the laws that you must abide by."

The witch gave what she assumed was a friendly smile but Lumina knew better. She did not return the smile as she took the parchment and rolled it up. "I am very much aware, thank you."

The witch nodded and checked off on her parchment. "Very good then. Welcome back, Ms. Peacecraft and thank you for visiting the Ministry of Magic. We do hope to see you again."

Lumina said goodbye and left the area, thanking the heavens above that it was finally over and done with. Back on the main floor, Dumbledore was no where to be seen, seeing as she was a little early. She went to the security desk to pickup her belongings and then wandered over to the fountain to stare at the golden statues, the sound of the water slapping to the pool below relaxing her somewhat.

This was how Dumbledore had found her ten minutes later. He stopped beside her as he gazed up at the statues. "A wonderful work of art isn't it?"

A smirk appeared on Lumina's lips as she looked down into the pool where many bronze Knuts, some silver Sickles, and a few gold Galleons glittered beneath the surface. "It is lovely but the reality of it is a little off…"

Dumbledore hummed in reply, a thoughtful look appearing in his blue eyes. He sighed then and turned to face her. "I take it you're all finished?"

Lumina held up the parchment that stated her a citizen of the country and gave a nod. "Now what?"

"Now we leave. I have some business to do in Diagon Alley, I'll escort you back." They both turned to leave the large hall of the Ministry of Magic. "I've booked a room for you at The Leaky Cauldron. All expenses are paid in full by the school's funds, since you will be an employee."

Lumina trailed behind the headmaster, her dark hair bouncing with each step she took. "How will I be getting to the school?"

Dumbledore smiled as he held out a hand for Lumina's visitor's badge. She took it off and handed it to him, watching as he tossed it into a gold tray beside the phone box. "Do you like trains Lumina?" He said as he stepped into the phone box, Lumina followed in behind him while a puzzled look appeared on her face.

"Trains?" The door shut closed and the phone box began to grind its way back to the surface. From the twinkling she saw in Dumbledore's blue eyes, just before the darkness descended on them, Lumina had a feeling this was going to be an adventure like she had never experienced before.


	5. Chapter 5

(A/n) The girl's name Lumina \l(u)-mi-na\ is pronounced loo-MEEN-ah. It is of Latin origin, and its meaning is "brilliant light". Figured it would be a good little fact to throw out there. Thank you for the reviews!

Disclaimer: See first chapter for disclaimer. Original characters belong to me.

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Chapter 5

Dumbledore did not give exact details as to what Lumina would be doing at Hogwarts. When he had left her at the entrance to Diagon Alley, he only said to be sure to arrive at King's Cross before precisely eleven and to have all of her belongings with her. When she arrived at the school, he would have worked out all of the details as to what her new vocation would be. She had asked if she would need to leave behind her guns, seeing as she wouldn't need them in a school filled with young wizards and witches. Dumbledore only smiled in response and gazed at her through his half moon spectacles. "That, Ms. Peacecraft, I shall leave up to you. I trust you." His smile had grown then and his blue eyes focused on hers. "After all, we do need to defend ourselves when the need for it arises… I will be checking on you from time to time to make sure you are all right." With that, he bid her a fond farewell and turned on the spot, Disapparating from view.

Feeling more than a little confused at the recent turn of events, Lumina wandered back into the Leaky Cauldron. The owner, Tom, gave her a toothless grin as she walked by. "Everything alright Miss?"

"Yes, thank you." She gave a tiny smile in return before she retreated upstairs to her room. Once inside, she moved over to the bed and plopped face down on it. Just yesterday, she was in Egypt crawling through an ancient tomb and running for her life, now she was in London for the remainder of the summer until she started a new job at a magic school somewhere in Scotland. How in the world did she manage to get herself into this?

Tomorrow she would have to withdraw some funds from her Swiss bank account and open a new account in Gringotts. Then she would have to go shopping for more, and at this she shuddered, appropriate witch's attire. She grabbed her pillow and threw it over her head; Dumbledore had said an old friend of his had informed him to her whereabouts. How could anyone have known she was in Egypt? The only people who knew where she was at any given time… Her head snapped up and her green eyes flashed with faint anger and annoyance. "Aunt Angelina…"

She groaned and buried her face in the mattress. Of course, her mother's sister back in the States would be all too worried about her only niece, especially in as what her aunt called her "fragile state." Lumina wasn't in any fragile state she was just… unstable would be the word to use. She had been that way since the incident had happened. It hadn't gotten any worse thanks to her mother though. She grasped the heavy, silver coin and it grew warm at the touch, her mother had sacrificed everything to try reversing the terrible thing her father had done to her but all that Ceverina Peacecraft could do was to stabilize it, not reverse it. All because Lumina had been born a Squib… She turned her green eyes to stare out the window to the outline of buildings on the Muggle side of the Leaky Cauldron. Lumina wondered how different her life would have been, her parents' lives, if she had only been born a witch…

Her father wouldn't have gone mad and her mother… No, don't think about it. She got up from the bed and rubbed her face. She caught her reflection in the mirror that hung on the wall. The woman who stared back at her looked exhausted, the skunk's stripe in her dark hair made her look older than her age. The subtle glow in her green eyes and the silver of her pupils the only true indication of her "fragile state." Her skin was tanned from her stay in Egypt but it did not drift away from the fact that there was something off about her. Perhaps because if one looked closely at her eyes, one could see how truly haunted her eyes appeared.

"Are you truly alive or truly dead?" Her reflection asked in a wheezy voice. "It is hard to say seeing as you are both alive and dead at the same time." The reflection smiled sadly at Lumina. "You should sleep, you look tired."

She closed her eyes and turned away from the mirror, she needed to sleep but she was afraid to. Being awake meant being alive and sleeping felt too close to death sometimes… She walked to the window and stared down at the Muggle street, where regular people walked to and fro, paying no mind to the small shabby pub. She was neither here nor there, she wasn't a Muggle and she wasn't a witch. Neither truly alive nor dead… it all felt the same to her. She placed her hands over her face and for the first time since her mother's funeral, she cried…

--

The summer passed rather quickly and Lumina had busied herself with various shopping escapades that would last her for however long she stayed at Hogwarts. From what she understood, she couldn't bring any of the electronic Muggle devices that she had grown accustomed to using seeing as they wouldn't work. So she had opted to get the bare necessities, which included getting more ammunition for the guns she would be bringing with her and also some throwing knives that had caught her eye in the glass case of the gun shop she had went to. When she had went shopping for new clothing in Diagon Alley, she was devastated to find nothing but robes of different styles and colors. She had decided to buy a couple of working robes in a traditional shade of black, just in case. After that she had made a beeline straight through the Leaky Cauldron to the nearby Muggle clothing stores. She bought a few pairs of decent jeans, some blouses and sweaters, a winter coat plus accessories, a pair of sneakers and snow boots.

She felt so much better as she made her way back to the pub with her shopping bags in both hands. These were the kinds of clothes she liked but then again it was because of living in the Muggle world for so long. She was walking past a dress store when it caught her eye in the window. She stopped and did a double take then walked on. Then she walked back again and stared some more. She argued with herself that she had no need for something so extravagant and she continued to argue with herself even as she went into the store.

Twenty minutes later, she emerged with an extra bag and a stunned look on her face. What possible use could she have for a gown? It had been terribly expensive and she couldn't think for the life of her when and where she would ever wear it. But the moment she had tried it on, she knew she had to have it and seeing as she rarely gave into her girlish tendencies, she felt she could spoil herself this one time.

Dumbledore had been true to his word and had popped in to pay a visit to his new employee. He still would not give any details as to what she would be doing but he said that seeing as she wasn't the type of woman to be afraid to do some hard work, he had a few other positions in mind for her. They were sitting at a table in the pub sharing dinner one night, before he finally divulged that she would be assisting the caretaker of the school.

Lumina had set her fork aside and stared at the headmaster as if he had suddenly turned a violent shade of pink. "So, I'm going to be a maid?"

Dumbledore had been taking a sip of his wine when she said this and he choked and coughed. He gasped and laughed, shaking his head as his silver hair danced over his shoulders. "I wouldn't put it in such a way but I suppose. I'm afraid that we are fully staffed at the moment so it was a little hard to find a place to put you." He set his goblet aside and sighed. "Besides, you will also be assisting the groundskeeper as well as several of the professors. You will be more of an assistant to the staff than just… ah, a maid."

"And I am giving up my glamorous life of raiding dungeons and tombs for what exactly?" Lumina rubbed her forehead and tried her best not to laugh. Oh she was going to kill her aunt for this one.

Dumbledore studied her over his half moon spectacles and reached out to point at the silver coin around her neck. "So that you will be safe and so that I can help you find a way to make you whole again." Lumina's smile had faded just a little and he sighed as he stared at his plate of food. "You said that you had found the last artifact, you are close to finding a remedy but you will need help. That is why you and I are sitting here, with this lovely dinner, and discussing your new vocation."

Lumina studied the headmaster, noted how suddenly tired he looked. She gave a nod and turned her fork around her plate. "I understand… but Albus, a maid?" She smiled at him from across the table and Dumbledore laughed and shook his head.

"Well, Mr. Filch, the caretaker, is at his wits end. He desperately needs the help, though he won't admit it. I figured you would be kind enough to help me in that matter." He smiled at her as he studied her, she did look a great deal less tired than the last time he had seen her. The circles under her eyes had faded just a bit and there was a sparkle in those peculiar green orbs that intensified the silver of her pupils.

Lumina took her goblet and raised it in mock toast. "Well then, I promise to be the best… maid, assistant, whatever… that Hogwarts has ever seen."

Dumbledore raised his own goblet and tapped it gently against hers while his blue eyes twinkled with silent laughter. "Hear, hear!"

--

The summer had ended and Lumina was more than happy to pack her belongings and leave the pub. She actually didn't mind The Leaky Cauldron with its toothless owner and various patrons that frequented the place on a nightly basis. She had actually made a few friends, one of which was a mountain of a man by the name of Rubeus Hagrid, who was in fact the groundskeeper for Hogwarts and a professor to boot. Despite his large size, he was terribly sweet and had almost bowled her over in his excitement to meet his new coworker.

"This is so excitin'. Yer goin' ter love workin' at Hogwarts, mark my words. T'ain't often we get a fresh young face on staff. Ol' Filch'll be beside himself." While he was saying this, he had been shaking her hand in his excitement and jostling poor Lumina up and down like a rag doll. It had to take a couple of other wizards to remind the man that the woman was a lot smaller than him and to be less enthusiastic. He had released her hand with numerous apologies and bought her a drink to give her a "proper welcome." Needless to say, it was a meeting like no other but she was happy to finally say goodbye to the Leaky Cauldron. Her feet were getting a little itchy and a good journey was what she needed.

Lumina had arranged for a Muggle taxi to take her to King's Cross that morning. It was a rather gloomy day with heavy clouds and rain that fell in sheets. The traffic was a little thick on the way to the station but soon enough she was out of the taxi, paying the cabbie and lugging her three suitcases through the station toward platforms nine and ten. Dumbledore had informed her that the platform nine and three-quarters was separated from the Muggle station by a magical barrier. She set her suitcases down and eyed the barrier between platforms nine and ten. It wasn't until she saw a small family, a couple with their child lugging a large trunk, disappear through the barrier that Lumina felt it was all right.

Gathering her suitcases, she moved toward the barrier, keeping a quick eye out for any Muggles. A few walked passed her but they paid her no mind as she pretended to study a scuff on her boots. As soon as they were gone, she moved forward and met no resistance from the barrier. She was through to the other side and was greeted by a sign that read Platform Nine and Three Quarters just above where a sleek red steam engine billowed out grey smoke. On the front of the train, it read Hogwarts Express. She couldn't believe she was really doing this…

She was early, seeing as there weren't a lot of students with their families around. She received a few curious glances as she boarded the train and moved to a compartment about halfway down. She stowed her luggage in the racks above the seats, rather glad that the windows of this particular compartment was not facing the platform. She never did like seeing happy families together; it was just a sad reminder of what she had missed in her own life.

She was settling herself in her seat and propping her booted feet up on the seat opposite when a witch slid open the compartment door. "Pardon me, are you Ms. Peacecraft?"

Lumina looked up at the witch and nodded. "Yes, I am."

The witch smiled at her, she was a rather pleasant looking woman. "Good, we had been informed that you would be riding with us today. It will be a long trip so if you need anything please don't hesitate to call me." She leaned in a little closer and gestured out into the train hall. "I will warn you, some of the students can get a bit… lively. If they bother you, just alert the Head Boy and Head Girl. They are in the compartment further up."

Lumina smiled at the witch and shook her head. "I'm sure that won't be necessary but I will keep that in mind. Thank you very much."

"I'll be back with a trolley full of snacks later in the day, in case you get hungry." The witch studied Lumina's eyes with open curiosity before she flashed another smile and left.

Finally alone, Lumina sighed heavily and closed her eyes. She was a little tired from all the rush of that morning and from being so nervous all night, she hardly slept at all. She was vaguely aware of the sound of muffled conversations and footsteps marching back and forth outside of her compartment before her head fell to one side soon she was fast asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

(a/n) Thank you to Kat for reviewing! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And a big thank you to those who alerted and favorited this story! It makes me want to write even more now. :)

Disclaimer: See first chapter. Original Characters belong to me.

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Chapter 6

Dreams were something that Lumina rarely ever experienced but when she had fallen into that deep slumber, her mind was filled with images of swirling silver mist and the ghostly forms of people around her. Whispers surrounded her, the hushed voices leaning close at the ghosts drifted closer to her.

_Who is she? _A ghost of a woman asked as she glided around Lumina, looking her over from head to toe.

_Is she dead?_ A ghost of a man whispered from behind her and Lumina whirled around in fright.

_She is neither alive nor dead…but she is still my daughter… _A voice spoke from her right and the silvery form of a woman emerged from the mist, her long hair floating about her face. It was Lumina's mother, Ceverina Peacecraft, gliding toward her daughter with her arms held out as if to embrace her. Lumina knew that none of it was real the moment that her mother stopped across from her and dropped her arms.

_I will do all in my power to make my daughter whole again…_ Her mother whispered as a strange two sided mirror appeared between them. Her mother looked terribly sad as she reached out to touch the mirror and Lumina cried out as the mirror exploded with a bang and glass shattered down to the floor, a million pieces of broken light…

--

Lumina had awoken with a jerk, the sound of actual glass shattering to the floor outside of her compartment reaching her through her mental fog. She had slid down in her seat, her face scrunched up against the steamy window of the compartment. It was even darker outside and the rain that splattered against the glass blurred the passing scenery into shades of dark grey and black. The train was already making its journey up north and she had been asleep the entire trip. Her heart was hammering as she heard raucous laughter out in the hall as well as footsteps that stomped away. A sudden burst of temper welled up tight in her chest. They were a bit lively? A bit more like a bunch of unruly animals…

She was a bit disoriented as she staggered to her feet and slid the door open with surprising force. She stepped out into the hall just in time to see the shattered glass of the compartment door across from hers repair itself in the window. She cast a dark glance up the hallway to find the retreating forms of three laughing students already in their school robes.

"What is going on here?!" Her voice cut through the noise like a sharpened blade and silence fell as the three students turned around in surprise. Other students that lingered in the hall had focused their attention on the sudden sight of an adult standing in their midst with a look of intense anger on her face. Lumina's eerie green eyes focused on the three students who stared at her with stunned looks on their faces. Apparently, they were not aware that there would be other passengers aboard the Hogwarts Express that weren't students.

Her gaze focused on the one in the middle, who looked to be no more than in his early teens with blond hair that was slicked back from a pointed face. "What are you doing out here that there needs to be so much of a racket?!"

By this time, the other doors to the compartments had slid open and curious students poked their heads out to find what the source of the loud voice was. The door across from Lumina had slid open as well and several students looked at Lumina with surprised faces before glancing over the other three students that she was currently glowering at. Of course, the three students did not answer her question and continued to stare at her as if she were a ghost. She took in a breath as two red patches appeared on her tanned cheeks. "I'm sure you three gentlemen have seats somewhere on this train. Do me a favor and find them now."

Lumina continued to glare at them as they mumbled under their breaths and left the hall. She tried to stem the sudden rise of her temper as she turned her smoldering gaze to the students across from her and then disappeared back into her compartment, the door sliding closed behind her. While she plopped herself back down on the seat, she huffed and tried to roll the crick out of the left side of her neck. She wandered again why she was doing this. If this was what she would be looking forward to dealing with on a day to day basis, it would most likely mean the end of her sanity…

--

"Who was _that?"_ Ron asked as he stared at Harry and Hermione with wide eyes.

"I don't know, a new professor?" said Harry, staring thoughtfully at the repaired window of the door. It wasn't often that adults rode on the train aside from the conductor and the trolley witch. There had only been one incident exactly a year before of another adult riding on the train and it had been their DADA teacher, Remus Lupin. Seeing as he had resigned from the post at the end of the last school year, it wouldn't be surprising if that woman turned out to be the new DADA teacher.

"She did seem a bit out of place," said Hermione, and she sat back down in her seat and resumed reading her copy of _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4_.

"What do you mean?" asked Ron, and he plopped down on his seat beside Harry and Neville Longbottom.

"Didn't you notice her clothes?" asked Hermione, and she set her book back down on her lap. "She was wearing Muggle clothes; jeans, a t-shirt and black boots." She shrugged and focused on her book again. "But it was her trench coat that threw me off. I've never seen anything like it. It was completely covered with dragon scales."

"I thought she was scary…" said Neville, who had been reminded of a particular Potions Master from the scowl that had adorned the woman's face. He looked at Harry and his eyes grew wide. "Did you see her eyes when she looked at us? They were so eerie; I could have sworn they looked like they were glowing…" He suppressed a shudder and turned his attention back to the miniature model of Viktor Krum that belonged to Ron.

"Well, whoever she was, she really got one over on Malfoy, huh?" said Ron, who looked positively delighted over the fact that the blond student from Slytherin had been yelled at. He had been in a gloomy mood since Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had left the compartment. After the little scene that had transpired between the Slytherin students and the unknown woman, he looked more cheerful and he started to engage Neville in recap of what had happened at the Quiddtich World Cup over a week before.

Harry had remained somewhat quiet for the rest of the journey to Hogwarts. He listened to Ron as his friend talked on and on about the World Cup and Viktor Krum, Neville listening with rapt attention. As they changed into their school robes, Harry found his thoughts drifting back to the strange woman. Neville had been right; the woman's eyes had appeared to have a very faint glow to them. Harry had gotten a good look at those eyes when the woman had stared at them. It had not been the subtle glow of them that had thrown him off, it was the fact they were so green and the pupils were, not black, but haunting silver. He hoped it had been a trick of the lanterns in the hall.

The Hogwarts Express had finally slowed to a stop in the pitch black darkness of Hogsmeade station. As Harry and the others gathered themselves up against the torrential downpour that awaited them, the compartment door across from them opened. They all looked up to find the woman emerging from her compartment with her luggage in hand. She paused in surprise at the sight of them, studying each of them in turn, before she moved off to follow the rest of the students off of the train.

"I told you Harry, that woman is scary…" said Neville, who stood behind Harry trying his best not to shudder. Harry said nothing in reply and moved with his friends off of the train and into the storm. He looked around and spotted the woman among the crowd of students heading toward the carriages that waited to take them to school. She was easy enough to find with that blindingly white stripe of hair that was in direct contrast with the rest of her dark hair. He wondered who exactly this strange woman was…

--

Lumina had the pleasure of being completely soaked through from the rain as she followed the students toward the carriages that lined the street. She was about to head to one of the carriages in the middle of the row when the animals that were pulling the carriages caught her eye. She stopped in surprise, having a few of the students behind her throw her rather annoyed and curious glances.

The reason for her sudden stop was because staring back at her was a creature like none she had ever seen. It could have been described as a horse but it resembled a very undead horse. One of the creatures eyed her with blank, white, shining orbs as she walked closer to it. It's face was best described as sort of dragonish with a long, black mane that fell over its neck. Its great leathery wings were folded tightly along the sides of its skeletal body. Lumina moved even closer to study the creature with open facination and it moved its head to sniff her hair. Whatever it had smelled, Lumina had no clue, but it liked the scent and it bumped its forehead against hers. She giggled softly and reached a hand out to touch its muzzle. "You're a lot like me, aren't you?"

It huffed in reply, its white eyes watching her before a voice called out to her. "Ma'am? Are you going to board the carriage?" Lumina looked to find a student staring at her rather curiously, not even passing a glance to the horse beside her. She wondered if the student could see it…

Rubbing the horse's muzzle, she gathered her luggage and moved to climb into the carriage.

--

"So you're the one the Headmaster hired, are you?"

A wheezy voice greeted her as she made her way into the entrance hall of the castle, dragging the mud and wet with her. Students filed passed her, some of them whispering behind their hands and pointing her way. She eyed them wearily while she set her luggage down and grabbed fistfuls of her hair to give it a good squeeze. Water splattered down to the already slick floor and she caught the look of pure annoyance on the man's face who stood waiting for her. She flicked her wet hands for good measure and studied the man across from her. She had to say that if first impressions were anything to say, this man was nothing to rant about. He was slighty hunchbacked with thin grey hair and pale eyes. He wore a long brown coat and curling just behind his legs was a rather thin looking cat with dust colored fur and lamp-like eyes. Lumina eyed the cat curiously before putting her attention back to the man. He had his hands behind his back and his frown looked like it had been permantantly carved on his face.

"Well, are you?" He asked rather impatiently. Argus Filch had to admit, this young woman standing in the entrance hall dressed in Muggle clothing and her dripping, dark hair with the skunk stripe along the front, was not what he had been expecting. Dumbledore had said that he had hired extra hands in order to help lighten the work load that Filch had been receiving. Of course, Dumbledore had been vague on the details, he had only said that she was "a delightful woman who is not afraid of hard work."

"Yes, I'm the one the Headmaster hired. You are Mr. Filch?" said the woman, her green eyes were studying him, there seemed to be something that didn't quite settle about those eyes. Filch's frown deepened and gave a stiff nod, she had a strange accent, where did Dumbledore find this one?

"I'm Argus Filch, the caretaker. Headmaster Dumbledore gave strict instructions that you were to leave your things here and follow me to the Great Hall. Dinner will be beginning shortly so you'll be having the honor of joining with the rest of the staff." Filch noticed that the woman did not even bother to look up at him as she busied herself of placing her luggage aganst the wall.

"Will my things be here for me after dinner or will they be moved?" She looked up at him as she straightened.

"They'll be moved to your room while you're at dinner. Don't worry about anyone going through your things," said Filch, and he beckoned to the woman to follow him away from the entrance hall. Lumina glanced back at her luggage, heaved a sigh, and went to follow the older man that was shuffling his way toward the doors of the Great Hall. He stopped at the doors, glanced back to make sure she was following, and walked through.

Lumina followed Filch into the Great Hall and was greeted by the sight of the most incredible wizarding architecture she had ever seen. The Great Hall was lined with four long, wooden tables that were currently occupied by almost every student in the school. Hundreds of candles were levitating above these tables and shedding light along with the candelabras that adorned the walls. The most wonderful thing to see however, was the ceiling that had been betwitched to look like the sky outside, which was currently darkly clouded while an occasional streak of lightning pierced through the clouds.

Filch walked along the far end of the wall, followed by Lumina, toward a table that was facing the doors and occupied by the staff. Lumina noted that Dumbledore was sitting in the middle of this table; he was adorned in deep green robes embroidered with many moons and stars. The tips of his long, thin fingers were together and he was staring at the betwitched ceiling as if deep in thought. There were other professors, witches and wizards, that eyed her with open curiosity and fascination.

"C'mon then…" Filch wheezed as he walked along the staff table toward where Dumbledore sat. The teachers that sat at the table watched Lumina as she followed the caretaker. A tiny wizard who sat on a large pile of cushions at the far end of the table caught her eye and he gave a smile and a wave in welcome. She blinked in surprise then hesitantly waved back. The witches beside the tiny wizard, who had been in deep conversation, stopped to give her puzzled looks then turned to one another to continue their conversation.

Beside the two witches, a wizard in pure black robes sat with what looked like a permanent scowl on his sallow skinned face. He had shoulder length, greasy dark hair that fell about his hook nosed face, giving him the look of a predatory bird waiting to make its kill. As Lumina passed this teacher, he glanced up at her with eyes that were as dark as onyx. She looked away at once and suppressed the shudder that threantened to break through. There was something disturbing about that man…

"Ah Lumina!" Dumbledore greeted her warmly as she stopped in front of him. Filch glared at her before he left to take his seat on the opposite end of the table. Lumina watched the old caretaker shuffle off before she leaned over the table and smiled at the Headmaster. "I don't think he likes me very much Albus."

Dumbledore laughed gently as he shook his head and leaned in close to her. "Do not take it personally, he isn't very fond of anyone."

"You don't say," replied Lumina dryly, and she smiled when Dumbledore laughed even more.

"How was the Hogwarts Express? The trip does take awhile but I'm sure it wasn't all bad," said Dumbledore, clasping his hands and setting them on the table. His blue eyes were focused on hers, taking in the sight of her silver irises with that pang of sympathy that always welled up when he saw her.

"To be honest, I don't know. I was asleep almost the entire way," said Lumina, her smile was coming easier now that she was talking with someone that she knew well and, she couldn't believe, trusted. "I was woken up rather abruptly by some of the students playing around outside my compartment but aside from that it was the most quiet journey I ever experienced."

Dumbledore chuckled some more, his blue eyes twinkling. "Well then, I am glad you were able to enjoy it." He focused his gaze beyond the woman in front of him and smiled. "I hope you aren't going to regret coming here Lumina. I will warn you, this place does get a bit… lively at times."

Where had she heard that one before? The voice of the witch from the train came tumbling back through her memory. "Lively as in 'these are rabid animals running loose and they will tear you limb from limb if you are not careful?'" Her smile deepened as Dumbledore's face grew suddenly serious and he gave a grave nod.

"Precisely."

Her laughter rang out above the buzz of conversation that filled the Great Hall, the sound of it so surprising that the people nearest to the high table looked curiously to find the source. She wiped a tear from her eye as her laughter subsided; Dumbledore was chuckling as well. "I should go sit down before I bring uneeded attention to your table." Her green eyes were sparkling. "Thank you so much for the laugh Albus, I needed it."

"Anytime you are in need Lumina," replied Dumbledore, his blue eyes bearing that constant twinkle behind his half moon spectacles.

Lumina smiled a little more and threw a glance at the empty seat beside the headmaster. She wondered who was supposed to be sitting there? Her eyes moved further down to catch the hook nosed professor studying her with a look on his face that was hard to read. His black eyes remained fixed on hers until she finally looked away and moved to to her seat on the opposite end of the table. This time she did shudder. She didn't know what it was about that wizard but it was enough to make her hair stand on end.

She took her seat just in time as another professor marched into the Great Hall, a parade of small children following behind the witch. Lumina watched them with interest and settled herself in for what was going to be a very long evening…


	7. Chapter 7

(A/n) Yay to new readers!! Thank you for the favorites and alerts!

Disclaimer: See first chapter. Original characters belong to me.

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Chapter 7

The Sorting was a Hogwarts tradition that involved the placement of new students into the four Houses of the school: Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. The Sorting hat was a rather dismal looking wizard's hat that had been enchanted with the duty of placing all new students into one of these four Houses. Lumina had been aware of this particular tradition since she had been younger. Her father had often spoken about her attending Hogwarts and perhaps being Sorted into Ravenclaw, seeing as she had been surprisingly intelligent for her age. Of course, this had been before she was discovered to be a Squib and long before her father went crazy…

While the first year students were being placed into their appropriate Houses, a rather large person had walked in from a door behind the teacher's table and settled themselves in the big chair that was right beside Lumina's. She looked up to find Rubeus Hagrid creaking in his chair as he tried to get more comfortable, water dripping from his thick, tangled mane and beard of dark hair. He looked over at her and gave a broad grin in hello. Lumina returned the smile before turning her attention back to the Sorting.

As each new student tried on the hat and it opened the rip at its brim to call out a House, Lumina felt a twinge envy and sadness. How different her life would have been if she had been a witch… But fate had other plans in store for her the day she had been born. As her green eyes began to wander the sea of faces and black caps that were watching the first years, Lumina had the funniest feeling that _she_ was being watched. She looked over along the table and found the surly, dark haired professor from earlier watching her with a deep frown set on his face.

Why on earth was he glowering at her like that? She returned the stare then raised a slender dark brow in question. He narrowed his dark eyes in response and finally turned his attention back to the Sorting.

"Don' yeh min' him." A deep voice grumbled in her ear and she jumped in surprise to find Hagrid leaning close to her. His beetle black eyes were crinkling from the smile he gave. "Tha's Professor Snape. He's a bit unpleasant with people mos' of the time."

"That's all well and good… but does he _have_ to scowl at me like that?" Lumina whispered in turn as her gaze returned to the professor, who glared at the plate in front of him. She found herself frowning again; she had to admit that he was one of the most unpleasant looking people she had ever laid eyes on. "He doesn't even know me."

Hagrid could only shrug his massive shoulders in answer to her question and turned to watch as the last student was finally placed in their House. The professor who took the hat and stool away was a rather stern looking witch with dark hair kept in a tight bun at the nape of her neck and square-rimmed glasses. She disappeared through another door behind the teacher's table just as Dumbledore rose out of his chair and smiled at the students, his arms open wide in welcome. The students fell silent all at once and kept their eyes on the Headmaster.

"I have only two words to say to you." He said, his deep blue eyes twinkling. "_Tuck in_."

"Hear, hear!" Two students' voices rose up loudly in response just as food magically appeared on the gold platters and plates that adorned all of the tables. Lumina had glanced over to where those two students sat at the Gryffindor table and recognized the red haired, freckled student and the dark haired one with the glasses as the ones who had been on the train.

"Tha's Ron Weasley," said Hagrid, having noticed that Lumina had been watching the students curiously. He pointed to the red head and then to the one with glasses. "And tha's Harry Potter. Both good kids…" He smiled at her as he reached over to start filling his massive plate with all sorts of food.

"Potter…" Lumina repeated the name and a frown twitched the corners of her lips down. Yes, she, like the rest of the wizarding world, knew the background story to the Boy-Who-Lived. She studied Harry Potter and was surprised to see that he looked genuinely happy and at peace with the world. He was talking with, and at this she paled considerably and felt her heart stop, a ghost who was wearing an over large ruff. Lumina felt a shudder run through her, Dumbledore had warned her that Hogwarts was home to some twenty something ghosts but still… To put it rather delicately, she and ghosts did not mix well, at all.

Meanwhile, Harry Potter seemed to feel as if he were being watched because he had paused in the act of placing a rather sizable chunk of steak into his mouth. His gaze had wandered toward the end of the staff table and locked with hers. They stared at one another for a moment and Lumina had to admit, the sight of his mouth partially open with the steak hovering just above, was too funny. She started to laugh in spite of herself, which quickly turned into a cough to stifle the sound.

He had caught the sight of it though and he flashed a cheesy grin her way. She hesitated for a moment then returned the smile. His red haired friend, Ron Weasley, had leaned over to speak with him. Harry responded in turn and pointed Lumina's way. His friend blinked then looked up at the staff table, spotting her beside Hagrid. He flashed a smile at her and gave a rather enthusiastic wave in hello. She blinked in response, hesitated, and then waggled her fingers in return with an embarrassed smile.

"See? Yer already makin' friends." Hagrid was laughing, having watched the entire exchange between the young woman and his favorite Gryffindor students. He had started piling different foods onto her plate since she had not started to yet. "Yeh'll fit in jus' fine here."

"I only saw them on the train…" Lumina replied; a little stunned as she tried to think of what might have prompted them react that way.

"Here, yer need to eat." Hagrid said with a smile as he set her plate back down and slammed a massive hand against her back. She slumped forward from the sudden weight, which Hagrid quickly apologized while he helped her to sit straighter. "Forge' me own strength sometimes…" He mumbled as his face turned red beneath his beard and he quickly went back to his dinner.

Lumina sighed softly and started to eat, there were different kinds of foods to choose from and she sampled from each of them. Hagrid had started to engage her in conversation about where she was from and what she had been doing before coming to Hogwarts. Lumina was honest with him as she told him and he listened with keen interest as she recounted one of her exploits of a tomb she had found on one of her visits to the continent of South America.

The remains of dinner disappeared from their plates sometime later and had instantly been replaced with dessert, which included a variety of puddings. Lumina had been quick to try the chocolate gateau, chocolate being her very girly weakness, and all the while happily chatting away with Hagrid about his favorite subject: dangerous, magical creatures. She was just getting into the details about how she had obtained the dragon scales for her rather unique trench coat when the desserts finally disappeared, leaving the plates sparkling clean.

Dumbledore got to his feet once more and the buzz of conversation hushed almost at once so that the only sounds were of the wind and the rain outside. The headmaster smiled at all of the students. "So!" He said, his half moon spectacles reflecting the candlelight. "Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices."

He cleared his throat and clasped his hands behind his back, his blue eyes flicking toward Lumina with that regular twinkle. He smiled and turned his attention back to the students. "Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yoyos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it."

At this, the corners of Dumbledore's silvery beard twitched and he continued. "On another note, I would like all of you to extend a very warm welcome to the newest member of our staff. She will be assisting Mr. Filch in the care of our school, seeing as we are housing more students this year." He turned toward where Lumina sat and held a hand out toward her. "Ms. Lumina Peacecraft."

Lumina felt her face grow warm as the sound of polite clapping filled the Great Hall from the students and the staff. She felt a large elbow nudge her arm and heard a gruff whisper. "Go on, stand up!"

She turned a deep shade of red and got to her feet. She looked at the sea of faces that had turned in her direction and gave a weak smile and a small wave. The clapping grew a little louder, particularly from the section of the Gryffindor table where Harry Potter and Ron Weasley sat. She blinked when she heard a wolf whistle from somewhere in the back of the Hall, from what table she couldn't be sure. She blushed even deeper and promptly sat back down, hiding her face behind her hand. She had never felt so embarrassed.

Laughter rose up at this, even Dumbledore was chuckling, and Lumina glanced over at Hagrid and mouthed, "Kill me now." Hagrid was smiling while he clapped and gave her a wink. She groaned and shook her head as the clapping finally died away and Dumbledore turned once more to face the students to finish his announcements. Lumina wasn't paying attention as she tried to relax so that the blush would finally go away.

She released a breath and turned her green gaze back up to Dumbledore's form when she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that the hook nosed Professor Snape was watching her again. She turned her gaze to him and frowned lightly in confusion. He wasn't scowling at her this time, but had a thoughtful expression on his face. She didn't know why he kept watching her but it was beginning to annoy her.

At that precise moment, there was a loud rumble of thunder overhead and the doors to the Great Hall banged open. Lumina looked, along with everyone else, to see a man leaning on a long staff and covered in a heavy, black cloak. He shook off the hood of the cloak, revealing a mane of grizzled, dark grey hair and a weathered, scarred face. A chunk of his nose was missing and a large, electric blue eye was moving in all directions as he began to walk toward the teacher's table. With every other step he took, a dull _clunk_ could be heard.

He reached Dumbledore and held out a hand that was as weathered and scarred as his face. Dumbledore shook it and leaned forward to mutter something to the other man. He looked as if he had asked something because the stranger shook his head and replied in a muttered growl that was hard to hear. Dumbledore then gave a nod and gestured to the empty seat on his right. The stranger sat down, shook his hair from his face and pulled a plate of food toward him. He pulled out a small knife, stabbed a sausage with it, and proceeded to eat.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Dumbledore said brightly as he gestured to the man, who was currently taking a swig from a flask he had obtained from his traveling cloak. "Professor Moody."

Lumina had to say, compared to the warm greeting she had received; all that greeted Professor Moody was silence and stares. Dumbledore and Hagrid had applauded but it echoed pitifully through the silence and they stopped rather quickly. All everyone else could do was stare at Moody's bizarre appearance, who seemed rather indifferent to his less-than-warm welcome, and continued to eat.

Dumbledore turned back to face his students and his bright smile returned as he continued on with the announcements he had been saying before Moody's appearance had interrupted him. Lumina was not listening as she continued to stare at the new professor with faint surprise. She remembered Moody; he was one of the most infamous Aurors that had worked for the Ministry. Her mother had often spoken of him and always in a tone of respect. Lumina studied the man before her eyes were, once again, drawn to that of Professor Snape. The scowl on his face was absolutely murderous as he glared at Moody, who sat beside him. His nose was wrinkled slightly in disgust and when he looked away, his dark eyes caught hers. The scowl eased a bit and a flicker of something crossed his face. Lumina blinked then looked away just as a student proclaimed rather loudly through the silence. "You're JOKING!"

At this nearly everyone laughed, except for Lumina, who had missed the announcement, Snape, who didn't look as if he would be caught dead laughing at _anything_ and Moody, who was currently sniffing at a piece of chicken. Dumbledore began to speak then in detail of the event that would be hosted by Hogwarts, the Triwizard Tournament. Lumina listened with faint interest and noted that this tournament was going to be one of the most exciting things to happen at the school in quite awhile. The two other largest European schools of wizardry, Beaubaxtons and Durmstrang, would be participating in the event and the heads of the schools, with their short listed contenders, would be arriving in October. The three champions would be chosen on Halloween by an impartial judge and there would be an age restriction so that only those who were seventeen and older would be able to place their names.

There was a cry of outrage from the students at this and Lumina smiled, she had to give these kids credit, they were spirited. Dumbledore held up his hands for silence and the roar settled down to a few well placed mutters. "Now it is late and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop Chop!"

Dumbledore sat down again and turned to talk to Moody while there were the sounds of many scrapings and bangings of the students getting to their feet. They were talking in excited voices as they swarmed the double doors to the entrance hall. Some of the teachers were getting to their feet and others remained seated. Lumina wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now.

"Lumina, what are yeh doing tomorrow?" Hagrid was leaning toward her, his beetle black eyes sparkling.

"I have no idea…" She responded in turn, she really didn't. Dumbledore didn't give any details on what exactly her job would entail as an "assistant to the staff."

Hagrid smiled and placed a hand on his knee. "Think yer'd like to help me wit' some of my classes? I have some excitin' stuff in store and figured yeh might like to join in."

She was honestly touched and she smiled and gave a nod. "I'd love to. Just let me know what time I need to be there."

"Tha's great." He smiled and told her the times to three of his classes that were starting tomorrow and where. "I know yer'll have other things to do but I wanted to get yeh before anyone else did." At this, he winked then got to his feet and bade her goodnight. Lumina watched him as he walked off toward the double doors and she smiled, he really was a nice person.

"Are you ready?" A wheezy voice spoke and the smile fell away at once as she turned her green eyes to Filch. He was waiting for her and the look on his face was one of impatience. She got to her feet and told him to wait a moment before she went to say goodnight to Dumbledore.

The headmaster looked up at her with a smile, while Moody's magical eye watched her intently. Lumina smiled and gave a nod. "I just wanted to say goodnight and thank you again."

"It's always a pleasure Lumina. Have a goodnight's sleep. Oh and Lumina," Dumbledore called, because she had turned to follow Filch, who had already walked off to the entrance hall. She paused and looked back at him in question. Dumbledore smiled. "First thing tomorrow morning, will you come to my office? Argus will show you the way."

"Of course." She gave a nod, catching Moody's gaze, and wished both men a goodnight. She turned on her heel then and walked quickly toward the double doors to catch up with the impatient caretaker. She turned the corner of the door at that moment and gasped in surprise when she slammed into something very solid and very warm. Strong hands reached out to grip her shoulders to steady her.

She looked up to find herself staring at the scowling, hook nosed face of none other that of Professor Snape. His scowl deepened slightly as he raised a dark brow in slight annoyance. A faint blush rose up in response as they stared at one another and Lumina hastily looked away as she took a step back. The professor dropped his hands to his sides as he studied the woman with an expression that was hard to read.

"Do watch where you are going Ms. Peacecraft." He said, his voice was surprisingly soft and it sent an unexplained shiver down through her. She cleared her throat as she looked at him. "I'm sorry, I'll be careful next time. If you'll excuse me…"

His scowl eased somewhat and he stepped out of the way and gave a curt nod, his dark hair falling around his face. She bade him goodnight and quickly walked away to where she saw Filch waiting for her, rather impatiently, beside the marble staircase. She risked a glance over her shoulder to find that the professor was still watching her before he turned and disappeared down a staircase that led below the castle, his black robes billowing out behind him. Her heart gave a funny thump and she shook her head; that was strange…

"Well, come on then. I'll show you to your room." Filch grumbled as he turned on the spot and led Lumina further into the enchanted school of witchcraft and wizardry.


	8. Chapter 8

(A/n) Thanks to Kat for reviewing! And a big thank you to all of the new readers for favorites and alerts! You guys are awesome!

As a side note, I am trying to make Lumina as believable as possible as a character. Feedback would be greatly appreciated if I need to improve on certain things, what works and what doesn't. Honest opinions would be of great help to me, I never thought this story would get this far so I don't want to muck it up. :)

Disclaimer: See first chapter. Original characters belong to me.

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Chapter 8

The following morning, Lumina had awoken in a strange bed and in a strange room. She blinked up at the curtained ceiling of the two person canopy bed that she was resting in. She groaned as she turned over to bury her face in the pillow as memories of the previous evening resurfaced. That's right; she was currently in her new home at the school of Hogwarts and about to begin her first day as an "assistant to the staff." She tossed the blankets off and got to her feet, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she stumbled to the adjacent bathroom.

After dinner, Filch had led her through the first floor of the school and stopped at an office that was to be hers. He had said that the entrance to her personal quarters was the full length mirror on the wall to the right of her desk. He gave her instructions on how to gain access to her quarters and that he would arrive at her office first thing in the morning to escort her to Dumbledore's office before turning and walking off without even so much as a goodbye.

The full length mirror that Filch had mentioned was a rather surprising entrance way. When she stood in front of the mirror, her reflection would give her a glance over, smile, and then would disappear from sight to reveal a door. The mirror would then ripple like the surface of a pool before it too would disappear, allowing Lumina to enter her quarters. Her rooms were actually comfortable with a living area that consisted of a sofa and two arm chairs that faced a large fireplace. There were two large windows that faced the lake, one of which led to a balcony. Considering that there was a balcony, Lumina assumed that her rooms were located somewhere on the upper floors of the castle. Her bedroom was just as comfortable and the bathroom bore all the wizarding convenience of a large tub, toilet, and sink.

She stumbled out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later, freshly showered and somewhat awake. Her luggage had been waiting for her in her bedroom when she had arrived the night before and her things had been neatly put away in the wardrobe, Lumina had to admit this castle had great service. She quickly got dressed in a leaf green blouse and a pair of jeans. She pulled on her black boots and then ran a brush through her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. She then grabbed the belt to her holstered guns that rested on a chair by her dresser, equipped them, and then threw on her trench coat. She glanced at herself in the mirror and sighed, she was ready for running around through a tomb not running around a magic school.

Grumbling to herself, she left her rooms and emerged on the other side of the mirror into her office. She glanced back to find the mirror rippling before the surface smoothed and her reflection was staring back at her. A loud knock on the door got her attention at that moment and her frown deepened; of course, Mr. Filch would be on time. She rubbed her forehead as another knock sounded. "Hold on a moment please!" She called; she was always irritable early in the mornings, seeing as she didn't sleep well during the night. She had turned, about to head to the door, when the next moment there was a loud bang and a crash followed by a string of colorful curses that would have made her mother blush in surprise. She had just found one of the chairs that had been facing her desk and had discovered that it was indeed a very sturdy piece of furniture.

Hissing under her breath, she limped to the door of her office and threw it open a little more forcefully then she intended. The person who stood on the other side was not the hunchbacked, frowning caretaker but the rather tall and lean form of Professor Snape. He had his hand raised in mid knock and was gazing down at her with faint surprise. They stared at one another for a heartbeat before Lumina winced and gingerly rubbed her knee. "Can I help you?"

The sound of her voice seemed to knock the stunned silence out of Snape. He blinked and glanced down at her knee, the scowl returning. "Ms. Peacecraft," He began, his voice a low timbre that sent that unexplained shiver through her. "I am here to escort you to the Headmaster's office." His dark eyes were watching where her hand continued to rub the sore spot of her knee.

Lumina paused when she noticed his gaze and quickly released her knee as she straightened. "I thought Mr. Filch would be escorting me." She said, carefully placing her full weight on her knee and testing to make sure nothing was out of place.

A dark brow rose and his dark eyes lifted back to her face, his scowl deepened just a little. "Mr. Filch had been detained earlier this morning and had requested that one of the other staff members escort you in his absence." His gaze settled on her peculiar eyes and he studied them, a flicker of something crossing his face. "I had no previous engagements so I had agreed to show you the way. Of course, if you would much rather prefer the company of Mr. Filch I will be happy to see if he is available at the present moment."

The blank look that Lumina gave him was soon followed by a very small shudder. She quickly shook her head and promptly stepped out of her office, closing the door behind her. "No, no, that won't be necessary. Please, lead on."

Snape gave a curt nod and proceeded to walk up the corridor, casting a glance her way to make sure she was following. Lumina limped just a few feet behind, the white part of her hair falling loose from the ponytail to frame her face. His scowl had eased a bit as he studied the strange woman. "Might I ask what happened to your leg?" He inquired as they turned a corner to a larger corridor.

Lumina glanced up at him and her frown was instant. "Let's just say I had a very intimate meeting with one of the chairs in my office. It had been very anxious to make my acquaintance, you see, and my knee was all too happy to oblige." She winced after she said this and continued to limp while they emerged into the entrance hall.

The corners of Snape's lips twitched and he looked ahead, his dark hair hiding his face from view. He had heard the sound of a faint crash inside her office, followed by the muffled string of curses that would have done a Muggle sailor proud. He didn't ask anything else as they wound their way through the hallways that were beginning to fill with students heading to breakfast. She said very little either and when he had glanced back at her once more, it was to see that she was staring at the ground with a far off look in her peculiar green eyes. Those eyes… he caught himself staring at her and promptly looked away, the scowl returning full force. They had finally stopped in front of a stone gargoyle and Snape muttered the password. The gargoyle suddenly sprung to life and jumped aside, revealing a staircase that spiraled up and out of sight.

"After you…" He said, giving a slight bow and holding a hand out toward the staircase. Lumina muttered a thank you and went on ahead of him up the staircase, Snape following close behind her. His dark eyes settled on the back of her black trench coat and noted the dark dragon scales that lined the entire surface. He raised a brow in surprise, that was something one did not see everyday. The staircase climbed further up the tower like an escalator and the door to the headmaster's office waited for them at the landing.

Snape moved around Lumina and knocked on the door, which quickly opened of its own accord and Dumbledore's cheerful voice called out to them. "Come in, come in!"

Lumina entered the circular office, the walls lined with the moving portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses. Their occupants were currently dozing in their frames, not bothered by the visitors that walked toward the large desk. Dumbledore was petting a fiery bird that sat on a perch beside his desk and he looked up with a pleasant smile in greeting. "Ah Severus, thank you so much for escorting Ms. Peacecraft."

Lumina had paled slightly at the sound of the professor's first name, it was pronounced along the same lines as her mother's. She passed a glance over to the dark haired professor who stood beside her. His face was that of cool indifference and he gave a curt nod toward the headmaster. "It was a pleasure…" He said, though from the tone of his voice, Lumina was sure he would rather be anywhere else than here.

Dumbledore gave his phoenix one last pet before walking over to Snape and holding his hand out toward Lumina. "Have you met Lumina, Severus?"

Both Lumina and Severus stared blankly at the headmaster before glancing at each other. In all honesty, they had not introduced themselves formally to each other. They each had assumed that the other person was well aware of the other's name and did not think it necessary to go through with formalities. Dumbledore noticed the look that passed between them and an amused sparkle appeared in his blue eyes.

"May I introduce Lumina Peacecraft?" Dumbledore gestured to the woman then turned his blue eyes to her. "Lumina, this is Severus Snape. He is the Potions Master of our school and the Head of Slytherin House."

Lumina felt a light blush touch her cheeks as she reached out a hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Professor Snape." She said, feeling rather silly, especially with Dumbledore standing there with that expectant grin on his face. Severus Snape was looking less than pleased since the scowl had returned to his face. "Likewise, Ms. Peacecraft…" He said, his voice almost caressing the words as he reached out to take her hand.

His fingers enveloped hers and she was surprised at how warm his hand was. Their gazes locked, his dark with her green, and a flicker of that same look from before went across his face. For some reason, Lumina was finding it a little hard to breathe underneath that dark gaze as they shook hands. She quickly released his hand and looked back at Dumbledore, feigning a polite smile. "There, now we have officially met."

Silence greeted this statement and then Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively while Severus only stared at the woman, his hand still hanging from the abrupt end of the handshake. He quickly dropped his hand and glanced over at the headmaster. "While this has been entertaining, I am afraid I must excuse myself."

Dumbledore was still chuckling as he gave a nod and waved the Potions Master off. Severus returned his gaze to Lumina, stared right into her green eyes, and gave a nod while a slight curl appeared on his lips. "Enjoy your first day, Ms. Peacecraft." He said, (again, a shiver went through her) and he turned on his heel and left the office in a billow of black robes, the door closing gently behind him.

Dumbledore studied Lumina, who was staring at the door with a dumbstruck look on her face. His smile grew as he recounted the little scene that had passed between the two. That had been rather interesting, especially on Severus' part. Dumbledore had seen the flicker of faint interest that had sparked in the professor's dark eyes the moment their hands shook and their eyes had locked. Yes, that was definitely interesting…

"Well then!" Dumbledore explained, clapping his hands together loudly and startling Lumina with a jolt. She blinked at him a few times, looking as she had just awoken from a daze. "Why don't we have a seat? There are a few things we need to discuss before you begin your first day."

Lumina nodded and moved to the cozy arm chair that faced his desk. Dumbledore had moved to the chair behind his desk and sat down, clasping his hands together. "Now, it has come to my understanding that you will be assisting Hagrid with a few of his classes today."

She nodded wordlessly, the dazed look still lingering in her eyes. Dumbledore's smile grew; yes, this was going to be very interesting indeed. He sat back in his chair and ran a hand over his silver beard. "That's wonderful to hear. I hope you understand that while you will mostly be assisting Mr. Filch in his duties, you will also be assisting any of the professors should they ask of your services."

Again, she nodded without a word and Dumbledore wondered what was running through her mind. He cleared his throat and continued. "Now, I will not lie to you Lumina, you will be very busy and it will be very hard work considering the obvious fact." He noted the slight look of annoyance that he had received for that comment and he chuckled, that was more like it. "You are a strong woman who is more than capable of handling the everyday occurrences that happen here in the school. I only ask that you set aside one evening of the week to meet with me."

"You don't take very long to get started, do you Albus?" Lumina said, a slight smirk appearing on her lips. Dumbledore was very pleased to see that familiar spark in her eyes. My goodness, whatever effect Severus had on the woman, she wasn't very aware of it. He wondered if he could use that…

"Well, I would like to get started in looking into your memories. We will need to go back to that event, to see exactly how it had happened." He noted how quickly she had gone pale, heightening the silver of her pupils and making her look even more haunting. A twinge of sympathy welled up in him at the sight. He leaned forward and frowned deeply, trying to keep the sympathy from showing in his blue eyes. "I know Lumina… it is something that you would be happier to forget. However, we need to know exactly how your father had done it. The only way to see is to look into your memories."

Lumina looked away with a heavy sigh and rubbed her cheeks, trying to get the color back into them. "I know… I know… I understand. I don't like it one bit but if it's the only way…"

Dumbledore nodded and she closed her eyes. "All right, just let me know when, I'll be there…"

--

Why had he done it? Severus Snape was frowning as he made his way back into the entrance hall and down the stairwell that led to the dungeons. Why had he volunteered to show Ms. Peacecraft the way to Dumbledore's office? The looks of shock that he had gotten from his colleagues the minute the words had left his lips.

He had been in the staff lounge with a few of the other professors, eating a somewhat quiet breakfast, when Filch had arrived looking absolutely livid. He was muttering something about the poltergeist when he had shuffled toward the table and asked if anyone would show Ms. Peacecraft to the headmaster's office. Most of the teachers had shown a faint interest but had prior engagements for the start of their lessons. Severus had already had his lesson plans worked out and had some time before the start of his first lesson. He had spoken up then, saying that he would take Ms. Peacecraft. There were looks of surprise on the other teachers' faces, even from Filch himself, who had only stared blankly at the Potions Master, before quickly telling him where Ms. Peacecraft's office was located.

He walked up the dark corridor toward his classroom, his frown looking more menacing. Why had he done it? Curiosity, a little voice spoke up from somewhere in the back of his mind. He stopped in surprise and clenched his fists, curiosity? Of what? Some strange woman that Dumbledore had hired to be, well, whatever her job was supposed to be?

He grumbled under his breath and kept on walking, his black robes flowing out behind him. Ok, he had been curious he could admit that, he was human after all. There was nothing wrong with being curious. He stopped outside of his classroom door as the image of those eerie green eyes surfaced to the forefront of his mind. He closed his eyes and released a sigh. It had been her eyes that had caught his curiosity. The moment she had looked up at him, those eyes had caught him completely off guard. They were so green they almost looked as if they had been glowing and her pupils… surely it had been a trick of the torch light? They couldn't have been silver…

When she had opened the door to her office that morning however, and those eyes had looked at him, he knew it hadn't been a trick of the light. He entered his classroom, (which was currently empty of students and would be for another half an hour) and headed toward his desk. He sat down and busied himself with pulling out lesson plans and class ledgers for the day. All the while his mind would not get rid of the image of those green eyes. After about ten minutes, he stopped what he was doing and slowly looked up from his desk. The quill in his hand trembled once and only once while his face took on a rather pale hue. It had bothered him so much and he didn't realize it until that moment. Her eyes had been the same shade of green as Potter's…


	9. Chapter 9

(A/n) Thank you to Chal and Taciturn Night for your great feedback and alerts!

Disclaimer: See first chapter. Original characters belong to me.

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Chapter 9

After the meeting with Dumbledore, Lumina had managed to find her way through the endless corridors to the staff lounge, where she grabbed a quick bite to eat. It was there that Filch had found her and asked in his wheezy voice to follow him. Trying her best not to groan, she stuffed a piece of toast into her mouth and followed the irritable caretaker to his office. His cat, which Lumina discovered was named Mrs. Norris, was waiting for them as she entered his office.

The cat eyed Lumina suspiciously while Filch rummaged around behind his desk and emerged with a wooden crate. He shuffled his way around the desk and thrust the crate at her, a rattling from within the crate revealing the contents to be glass bottles. "Here! Take these down to greenhouse number three, Professor Sprout needs them."

Lumina adjusted her hold on the crate while Filch rummaged through the pockets of his coat and pulled out a tattered piece of parchment. "When you're in between helping the groundskeeper with his… classes," He managed to sneer at that last comment. "I want you to get started on this list."

Lumina set the crate against her hip and reached out to take the parchment. Written on it, in an almost illegible scrawl, were various rooms within the castle that needed to be cleaned. A frown etched itself across her face as she noted that a lot of the rooms happened to be out of order lavatories.

"If you need cleaning supplies, there are some broom closets next to the bathrooms." Filch was smiling at the glare he received in answer and waved her off. "Well? What are you waiting for? Go on!"

Lumina muttered under her breath as she thrust the parchment into her pocket and left the office. "Miserable old dog," She huffed sometime later as she made her way down toward the greenhouses. She eyed the numbered greenhouses until she found number three and entered. She stopped in surprise as she was greeted by the sight of the ugliest plants she had ever seen. They looked like over ripened slugs, covered completely with very disgusting looking zits, sticking vertically out of the soil.

She suppressed a shudder as she edged her way around the squirming plants and set the crate down. "Hello? Is anyone here?" She straightened with a sigh and looked around the greenhouse.

"Just a moment!" A voice called from behind a rather large plant. Lumina looked to see a dumpy little witch appear with a friendly smile on her face. She was rubbing the soil from her hands on the apron she wore over her shabby robes. "Hello there! You must be Lumina, how wonderful to meet you. I'm Pomona Sprout, I teach Herbology." Her gaze moved over Lumina's very Muggle clothing before settling on her green eyes and the usual spark of curiosity appeared. She was friendly though as she took Lumina's extended hand and gave it a shake. "Are these the bottles that I requested?"

"Oh, yes." Lumina said as she glanced down at the wooden crate by her booted feet. "Mr. Filch wanted me to bring them by." Lumina smiled at the professor as the other woman was adjusting the frayed hat on her fly away, grey hair.

"He didn't wait long to put you to work, did he?" Professor Sprout returned the smile and gave a nod when Lumina had offered to take the crate further in. She pointed to a spot right under a long table that was beside the ugly, squirming plants. She studied the younger woman with interest as she caught sight of one of the holsters at Lumina's hip when she had bent to set the crate down. Where in the world did this woman come from?

"I'm afraid not." Lumina replied, dusting off her hands as she straightened and turned to face the professor. "You don't even want to know what he has me doing later on." She recalled the list and winced before she shook her head "Well, I need to get going. It was very nice to meet you Professor."

"Yes, you too dear!" Professor Sprout called as she watched Lumina walk off, being quite keen to edge away from the ugly plants. Sprout chuckled and shook her head before turning her attention to the large plant that she had been pruning.

Back outside, Lumina was all too happy to get away from the greenhouses. She heard a hum of distant voices and looked to see a large group of students walking toward her. She watched them for a moment then turned and made her way down the sloping, wet grounds to where Hagrid's wooden cabin that stood on the edge of a thick, dark forest.

She noticed that there were about several large crates on the ground, all open and emitting rather loud bangs that reminded her of shotgun blasts. She stared curiously at the crates as she made her way to Hagrid's front door and knocked. A large, booming bark responded to the knock followed by an equally booming voice that Lumina recognized as Hagrid's. "Down Fang! Down!"

Thumping footsteps made their way to the door before it was opened. Hagrid's smile was instant when he caught sight of Lumina and beckoned her to come in. "Yer jus' in time. I was jus' gettin' ready. Come on then."

Lumina entered the cabin and was immediately tackled by a boarhound that was as big as its owner. It managed to get a few well placed licks around her face before Hagrid dragged him off of her. "No Fang! Get down!" The dog whined as his ears drooped and he went off to his bed. Hagrid turned back to her and helped her to her feet. "Sorry 'bout that Lumina, ruddy dog is too friendly sometimes."

"No big deal…" She gasped, wiping a considerable amount of slobber from her cheeks. She smiled up at the groundskeeper and shrugged. "Well, I'm here. What do you need me to do?"

The smile that Hagrid gave set off a twinge of unease and it was confirmed the moment he took her outside to show her what was in the crates. They looked like mutated, shell-less lobsters with legs sticking out in every direction. Some had stingers and some had suckers, all had no visible eyes and every once in awhile, one would let loose a rather loud bang from its end before zooming off to slam blindly against the walls of the crate.

Lumina had a natural aversion to anything that was creepy and crawly but she swallowed down the scream she was dying to give off and forced a strained smile up at Hagrid. "How interesting… what are they?"

"Blast-Ended Skrewts!" He said cheerfully, as if that explained everything and Lumina did not ask any further. She assumed that they must have been born from something dead and something rotten, considering the pungent smell of rotten fish they gave off. Hagrid was quick to explain that they needed to prepare some foods for them, seeing as he didn't know what they ate. Lumina said nothing as he led her to the side of the cabin where a table had been set up with several small boxes, a single knife laying beside them. Hagrid explained that he needed her to cut up all of the ants' eggs, frog livers, and grass snakes into eatable morsels for the mutated lobsters.

Lumina had to remind herself that this was part of her job as an assistant but, as she stuck her fingers into the box of frog livers, pulled them out and began to slice, she let out a pained moan and shuddered.

--

Almost an hour later, Lumina was helping Hagrid to set up the table beside the crates filled with shell-less, undead lobsters. She was setting up the boxes of cut frog livers, ants' eggs and grass snakes just as the first of Hagrid's class was arriving.

"Mornin'!" Hagrid greeted his students while Lumina wiped down the table with a spare rag Hagrid had given to her. She glanced up to see that the students were from Gryffindor and they were all wincing, cringing and voicing out their disgust when Hagrid pointed down to the crates. She started to laugh, which quickly turned into a bout of coughing to hide the sound, and focused on scrubbing the table.

Hagrid was just explaining that the nasty little creatures were going to be the class project when the rest of his class arrived. "And why would we _want_ to raise them?" A voice drawled from the group that walked across the grounds.

Lumina glanced up to see that the group were Slytherin students, being led by none other than the pointed face, blond haired boy that she had seen on the train. His two troll like friends were on either side of him and chuckling in a rather dumb manner. Hagrid looked a little stumped at the question, which Lumina hated to admit was a good question to ask.

There was a pause before Hagrid responded. "Tha's next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus' feedin' 'em today. Now, yeh'll wan' to try 'em on a few diff'rent things. I've never had 'em before, not sure what they'll eat." He turned to look back at Lumina, who was standing quietly beside the table with her hands behind her back, and gave a wink. "I got ant eggs an' frog livers an' a bit o'grass snake, all prepared by Ms. Peacecraft here. Just try 'em out with a bit of each, see what they like."

The students at this time had all turned their eyes to spot the quiet woman beside the table, who watched all of them with a light frown on her face. Some of them gave her curious glances while the rest were still cringing from the zombie crawfish that they were supposed to feed. After a moment, three of the Gryffindor students stepped out of the group toward the table. It was Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, along with a girl with bushy brown hair that stopped in front of the table and cast wary glances in her direction.

Lumina stared at them in turn before she gave a small smile. "I know…" She muttered softly and gave a tiny shudder in disgust. They looked at one another, the looks on their faces brightening just a little, before they reached into grab handfuls of the food. They moved to the crates just as the rest of the students, rather hesitantly, followed suit.

Lumina stood by, watching as the students grabbed handfuls of livers, eggs, and bits of snake. When the student named Malfoy strolled up to the table, he gave her a look that was borderline disgust. A spark of annoyance touched but she said nothing and only returned his glare with one of her own until he finally walked away to one of the crates. She huffed as she glared at the kid. "Smug little…"

"Don' pay him no mind Lumina. It's jus' his way..." Hagrid had moved to stand beside her, watching the class. He glanced down at her and shook his head. "Ther's always goin' ter be those types, think they're be'er than everyone else."

Lumina sighed and dropped her hands to her side. "I know but it still gets on my nerves…" She rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand and glanced at him. "I gotta get going. I have some chores to do in the castle before the next class."

"All right', I'll see yeh this afternoon." He smiled as he watched her walk off, one of her hands raised in a wave directed back at him.

As she passed the students, Lumina listened as one of them gave a yell in surprise and a light frown appeared, she hoped those kids would be all right with those things…

--

"There you are!"

The wheezy voice that yelled up at her almost made her fall in fright. She grabbed onto the ladder with a gasp and then promptly coughed, dust settling down on her hair. She was standing on a rickety ladder in the middle of an empty classroom and dusting off the chandelier that looked as if it hadn't been touched in years. She glanced down to see Filch glaring up at her with his buggy, pale eyes. He was carrying a cauldron in his hands and looking less than pleased. "Get down here!"

She glared at him then set the feather duster on top of ladder and carefully climbed down. Once safely on the ground, she looked at the man and arched a slender brow. "What is it Mr. Filch?" She said in a rather tired voice, she had been spending the past hour dusting off every inch of the chandelier, her back was sore and her arms were aching.

"Don't give me that look." He muttered and then thrust the cauldron into her unexpected arms. "Take this down to the Potions class and be quick about it."

A muscled twitched in her jaw and she took in a deep breath to calm her rising temper. "And why can't you?" She asked, hefting the heavy cauldron against her hip and moving to grab her coat from the desk she had cast it on.

Filch's face turned an angry shade of red and his jowls quivered. "Because I have other things that need taking care of and I don't have the time! After you're done with that, I need you to go to the second floor lavatory; one of the toilets had been clogged." Lumina noted the look of satisfaction on his irritable face as she glared at him and walked off with a few muttered curses.

"Nasty, hunchbacked hermit…" She grumbled as she lugged the cauldron through the corridor that led back to the entrance hall. She managed to avoid the overwhelming tide of students that were on their way to lunch. She was just moving the cauldron to her other hip when she heard a student say. "You know perfectly well I only said that to shut Malfoy up. As a matter of fact I think he's right. The best thing to do would be to stamp out the lot of them before they start attacking us all."

Lumina looked over to see Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and their other friend making their way to the Great Hall. At once, a smile appeared on her lips, knowing full well that they were talking about the mutant zombie lobsters. "Did any of them eat anything besides a few fingers?" She called out, making the three students stop in surprise.

All three of them looked in her direction and spotted her beside the marble staircase. She walked over to them and set the cauldron down at her feet. Ron and Harry said hello at once while their friend only stared at her as if she had just grown a second head. Lumina smiled at the girl before looking at the other two. "Well? Any missing fingers?"

Ron laughed and Harry shook his head with an amused grin. "No ma'am. They didn't exactly have mouths to eat anything as a matter of fact."

Lumina folded her arms and feigned disappointment. "What a shame. Oh well, they might starve to death, if we're lucky." She smiled at them as she dropped her arms and held out a hand. "I'm Ms. Peacecraft by the way. I don't think we've officially met."

Ron was the first to shake her hand and introduce himself, followed by Harry and then the girl, who's name was Hermione Granger.

"How do you like Hogwarts so far?" Hermione asked, curiosity sparking in her eyes as she noticed the holsters on Lumina's hips. Lumina looked at her and raised a slender brow. "Considering it's my first day, I haven't formed an opinion yet. Ask me that question again in a few weeks, I'll have an answer."

She smiled at them and picked up the cauldron again. Man, was the thing heavy. She set it against her hip and nodded. "It was nice meeting all of you. Enjoy your lunch. I'll probably see you around the school somewhere."

They said goodbye and disappeared through the double doors while Lumina went down to the dungeons below. It was colder down here and much darker, it almost reminded her of a tomb she had visited once somewhere in Romania. She walked down the torch lit corridor and finally stopped at the door of the Potions classroom. She knocked on the closed door and heard a muffled voice call out. "Enter."

She opened the door and backed her way in as she tried to balance the cauldron that was getting heavier by the minute. "Where would you like this?" She asked, walking further in and setting the cauldron down on an empty chair. She took in a breath and looked up to find Professor Severus Snape staring at her as if she had just appeared from out of no where.

Silence followed this question before he finally turned his attention back to the papers at his desk. He pointed his quill to the desk that was right in the front row. "Put it right there, Ms. Peacecraft." His voice was soft, caressing the syllables of her last name. She stared at him as that familiar tingle made itself known and she closed her eyes to calm the sudden beat of her heart. She picked up the cauldron and walked down between the aisles to the desk he indicated. She looked, stared at the desk and then at him.

"What happened here?" She asked, looking back to what was left of a cauldron. It had somehow melted, cementing itself across the surface of the desk where it had dried. She studied the strange sight though she was aware of the professor's gaze on her. She leaned over the mess and shook her head. "Were you experimenting with acid or something?"

She heard a huff of breath and looked over to see that the corners of his lips were twitching, was he trying not to laugh? It was hard to tell. She wasn't sure with him, seeing as he had not given a real smile since she had met him. Somehow, she doubted he ever smiled. Snape looked back at his papers, his curtain of dark hair hiding his eyes from view. "That, Ms. Peacecraft, is what happens when a student does not listen to, and understand, simple direction."

She hummed in reply then reached out to get a grip of the still intact rim of the melted cauldron. She pulled but it didn't budge. She tried to twist and pull in various directions but the stupid thing wouldn't move, it really was cemented to the desk. Five minutes later, she was still trying to pry the thing off when she heard a heavy sigh. She then heard a chair scrape back and a quill fall against the desk, followed by footsteps. Her blush was instant when she heard his soft voice right beside her. "Here, allow me."

He had waved his wand over the melted cauldron with a muttered word and it popped off the desk with a sound that was much like a suction cup. She stumbled back in surprise, the melted cauldron in her hands, and then an arm had wrapped around her shoulders to keep her steady. She looked up at him, her cheeks red, and they stared at each other with faint surprise. She noted that he really did have dark eyes; they were so endless and so distant. Though at the moment, there was a flicker of that same look that he had given her that morning. Exactly what it was, she had no idea. "Thank you…" She said, a little breathlessly.

At the sound of her voice, the flicker went out like a candle and his dark eyes grew hard. He abruptly released his hold on her and took a large step back from her. He studied her face as he slipped his wand back in his robes. "Do you not have a wand Ms. Peacecraft?" He asked, his tone icy.

The blush that had touched her cheeks was gone in a split second and the scowl that appeared was one that rivaled the one he usually gave. She glared at him then set the melted cauldron aside. She placed the new cauldron very carefully on the desk and dusted off her hands. "I think the answer to that question is quite obvious, Professor." Her voice had grown cool and her green eyes returned to his, revealing the spark of anger that she had managed to keep out of her voice. The silver of her pupils were haunting and he found himself once again lost within the subtle glow of those emerald depths.

Lumina picked up the melted cauldron, gave him one last chilling look, before she turned on her heel and left the classroom without another word. The moment the door closed behind her, Severus' scowl deepened and he returned to his desk, the image of those green eyes refusing to leave his sight.


	10. Chapter 10

(A/n) Thank you to those of you who added this story to favorites and alerts! I'm glad Lumina isn't too bad of a mary-sue to detract from the story. ^.^

Special thank you to Taciturn Night, Kat, Naomisingerkitty, and sTeRIOb for their reviews! I'm happy you're enjoying it so far!

Sorry for the late update, my muse had left me so I had to watch a lot of Severus Snape movie scenes on YouTube to get my creative juices flowing again. ^.^

Update: A big thank you to reviewer Xav, who pointed out the obvious flaw of my story. -=blushes=- I didn't notice but when I had been describing Lumina's funny green eyes, I kept saying her irises were silver. What I MEANT to say was that her PUPILS are silver. Sorry for confusing everyone with that, I went back to correct that terrible mistake so it make sense now. Thank you again Xav!

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Chapter 10

The little girl was being led down a long, dark hallway, the large hand that gripped her small one pulling urgently. She struggled to keep up with the long strides of the man that pulled her so earnestly toward the door at the end of the hall. She looked up at the man that held her hand, her small feet taking three steps for every one of his. The man passed a glance over his shoulder as they stopped at the door and then looked down at her. A smile lit his face and she felt her heart soar at the sight but she still could not keep the flicker of fear from showing on her face.

The smile faded just a little and the man kneeled so that they were eye to eye. He was a handsome man with hair as dark as a raven's wing, a touch of silver at his temples. His brown eyes warmed as he studied her and he reached out to run a large hand down over her hair, which was as dark as his own.

"Don't be scared Lumi… after we do this, you'll be able to cast magic just like your mum and me." His hand cupped her small chin and he stared intently into her green eyes, the pupils as dark as shadows. "You'd like that wouldn't you? To be able to use magic?"

The little girl nodded just a bit. "Y-yes, Daddy." She barely whispered, staring into her father's warm brown eyes and lavishing in the love that she saw there. There was a glint in his eyes however, a glint that the nine year old girl did not recognize as madness. All she saw was her father looking at her with love and she craved for that love more than anything.

Her father smiled again and chucked her under her chin. He looked back up the long hallway, his brown eyes searching before he turned back to the door and opened it. He took a step forward then stopped, sensing his daughter's hesitation. His brown eyes widened just a little and he pulled gently on her hand. "Don't worry my little Lumi. Everything will be all right. You can trust Daddy…"

The little girl looked up at her father, looked at the man that she, as a child, loved beyond the need to understand. He was Daddy and Daddy would never hurt her, he loved her and she trusted him. She gave a small nod and gripped her father's large hand while he led her through the door to the room beyond…

--

"No more… please no more."

Lumina was kneeling on the floor of Dumbledore's office with her head bent, the white part of her hair hiding the tears that streamed down her cheeks. Dumbledore was kneeling in front of her, his wand just above her temple where a silvery, white strand of memory clung to the tip. He eyed the woman with understanding and gave her arm a comforting pat. "Let us call it a night shall we?"

She gave a nod in return, brushing the tears away as she got to her feet. Dumbledore had straightened as well and went to slip the memory into a stone basin that rested on his desk, the rim covered in old runes. He let the memory drop down into the basin, the silvery form swirling with the rest. He heaved a sigh and glanced over at the woman who had moved to sit in the arm chair, she looked tired again. The dark circles under her eyes were coming back.

"Lumina, have you been taking any sleeping potions?" Dumbledore asked while picking up the basin and setting it back in the black cabinet that was on the other end of the circular office. He closed the cabinet and turned his attention back to her, watching her through his half-moon spectacles.

"Sleeping potions?" Lumina glanced back at him and stared, wondering what on earth could have made him ask that question. Was it so obvious that she looked tired? She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "No… I haven't thought about it…"

For the past month, she had been running all over the castle doing the errands that old Filch assigned to her, helping the professors with whatever mundane, non-magical task that needed to be done, and trying to keep the hallways and corridors of Hogwarts as under control as possible. Filch did not help in matters, he was always popping up out of no where, scaring the younger students and handing out detentions should any be found of serious rule breaking. Most of the time, it was like a good cop and bad cop routine between the two of them. The students had grown accustomed to Lumina's stern but friendly ways but the old hermit would come right around and ruin whatever chances she had with having at least some of them following the rules.

Then there was his cat, always following her around, watching and waiting to see if she would mess up just once. She hadn't given the irritable caretaker any reason or sign of slacking off at her job but she was close to pulling out her gun and shooting the tail off of the feline if it made her trip one more time. On top of that, there was the Potions Master. She had no idea what the forces that be were trying to do but it seemed that it was her new duty to drag heavy cauldrons down to the dungeons to replace the ones that were melted, cracked, busted or just completely unrecognizable. It never failed, either by lunch time, the breaks between classes or dinner, Lumina was often seen hefting cauldrons down to the classroom and always Severus Snape would be there.

Since their last encounter, she had not said one word to the Potions Master and neither he to her. She was quick to replace whatever cauldrons that had been damaged and leaving as soon as possible without so much as a glance his way. She was still livid at his last remark but seeing as he was a narrow minded wizard like the rest of them, it shouldn't have surprised her. Why he did manage to get under her skin so easily? Well, it did not matter and so far he appeared to be quite content with the silence. Add all of that togther plus the once a week sessions that she had with Dumbledore to delve into her memories, she was just a too stressed to sleep much at night.

"Lumina, you should go and see Severus. He can make you a something to help you sleep a little better." Dumbledore had moved back to his desk and studied the woman, noting at the sudden stillness of her body at the mention of the Head of Slytherin house.

"Is it a request that I can decline?" Lumina dropped her hand and looked up at her mother's old friend, her eerie green eyes flicking between his blue.

Dumbledore smiled serenely and sat back in his chair. "I am afraid my dear, that it was not a request." He placed the tips of his fingers together, trying not to laugh at the spark of annoyance that had flickered across her face. "I do like to see the members of my staff healthy and well rested and frankly Lumina, you have not been resting. You should take a day off."

"Oh yes and have old Filch yell at me because I've been slacking in my cleaning duties?" She rubbed her hands over her face and huffed. She couldn't believe she was thinking this, but she really missed her days running around as a tomb raider…

"Lumina go and see Severus now for that sleeping potion. Tomorrow you are taking the day off from your assisting duties. I will speak with Mr. Filch." Dumbledore said, holding up a hand to stave off any protests that were about to fly from her mouth. "Enjoy the rest of your evening."

Realizing she had been dismissed, Lumina got to her feet, gave a nod in goodnight and left the headmaster's office without another word. As she made her way down through the castle toward the dungeons, she kept an eye out for Mrs. Norris, who had a bad habit of popping up in the least likely of places. It was late in the evening and all of the students were in their dormitories since dinner had ended long since. It was almost eerie with the corridors so empty like this… her heart gave a startled jump as she paused in mid step, a cold prickling along the back of her neck signaling her to the approach of a ghost. Lumina stayed where she was, waiting for the ghost of the tall witch to disappear and when she finally went through a wall further up the hall, Lumina released the breath she had been holding. She hated being near ghosts…

When the cold prickling faded to a dull, cool tingle, she swept down the marble staircase and down the narrow staircase that led to the dungeons. Lumina knew that the office of the Potions master was about halfway down the hall, almost directly adjacent to his classroom. She never had reason for visiting the professor in his office, in fact she never had reason to visit the professor at all save for changing the cauldrons in his class. As she walked down the cold corridor, she made a mental note that if she ever found out who the student was that was constantly ruining the school's cauldrons, she would personally make them spit shine every blasted set of armor in the castle.

Stopping in front of the door, she gave it a firm knock, her face set in a frown. She mentally ticked away the seconds before she knocked again, a part of her wondering if the Potions master was even in his office. She counted the seconds again before she heaved a sigh and turned to leave. The door swung open at that moment and the scowl on the professor's hook nosed face flickered quickly with surprise. Whoever he had been expecting to see, it most certainly wasn't her.

"Ms. Peacecraft…" His soft, almost deadly, voice seemed to linger on the last part of her name and once more that shiver made itself known down her spine. She straightened as she faced him, her eyes remaining fixed on his. He kept his hand on the door while his dark eyes searched hers with a look that was hard to read. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this… unexpected visit?"

The sarcasm was not lost on her and her frown deepened slightly. "The headmaster had sent me down to acquire a sleeping potion from you." She folded her arms beneath her breasts, her eyes flicking between his dark ones. She noted the scowl on his face had grown a tad worse at the mention of a potion and she stiffened in response. "I assure you Professor Snape that I would not be down here of my own accord. It was an order from our dear boss and as such I must honor whatever order that he gives, seeing as he is the one to give me my pay."

The corners of his lips twitched at that last statement and he promptly looked away, his curtain of dark hair hiding his face from view. He moved away from the door and gestured for her to enter. "Very well then…"

He walked further into his office and Lumina followed in after him, her frown easing as her curiosity got the better of her. The office was dimly lit so that the walls were immersed in shadow. Glass jars lined these walls filled with only Merlin knew what, all of it suspended in liquid that Lumina felt it was best not to think of. There was a cupboard in one corner of the room, in which the professor was currently digging around. His desk was front and center, a rather worn desk that was made of some dark wood. Two chairs stood before it for the occasionally rare visitor or unlucky student that managed to gain his annoyance. A fireplace stood along one end of the room, now currently without the warmth of a flame, though this office could use it for certain. There was also a clock on the wall, ticking away the seconds that passed and an extra table used for whatever fancied the Potions master.

"Here. This is for you, I assume?" Snape emerged from the cabinet with a small glass vial, a cork set firmly in place to keep the contents from spilling. He walked over and handed the vial to her.

"Is it that obvious?" She said in turn, a light smirk playing on the corners of her lips. She took the vial and slipped it in the pocket of her coat. She noticed the arched brow on the professor's face and her smirk slowly disappeared. She sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead. "I've been having trouble sleeping at night. Normally, it's not so bad but lately…"

"Lately?" He studied her, his sallow face hard to read in the dim lighting. She shook her head in response to that question and gave a half hearted shrug. "Stress… Let's see how you deal with cleaning this castle with just your own elbow grease."

"Elbow… what?" The confusion of that comment threw him off guard and he stared blankly at her. What in blazes was this woman going on about?

"Nothing, never mind, just an old Muggle term." A faint blush rose in her cheeks and she frowned, looking back at the office door. "I should get going, I haven't had dinner just yet and I'm starving. Thanks for the sleeping potion, professor."

"A word of caution Ms. Peacecraft…" He said as he watched her, she had turned to look back at him with a slender brow raised in question. He cleared his throat and gave a curt nod. "Do not take that potion until you are ready to sleep. The effects are instant so be sure that you are in bed."

She seemed surprised by that comment and she stared at him as if she were seeing him for the first time. After a heartbeat, she returned his nod and turned on her booted heel without another word. He watched her as she closed the office door behind her and slowly shook his head. For whatever reason, that woman always left him feeling somewhat dazed and confused.

Severus turned back to his desk and gathered the mess of essays that he had left strewn on his desk. He had been in the middle of grading them before she had interrupted him. Why in Merlin's beard was that woman so… strange?

His thoughts were interrupted once again but not by a knock. An ear piercing scream filled the corridor outside of his office, breaking the dead silence of the dungeons. Dropping the parchment, he withdrew his wand and rushed outside to the corridor, looking up and down to see who it was that was screaming bloody murder. His dark gaze found the source and he dropped his wand hand, the sight that greeted him like nothing like he had been expecting.

Lumina was on all fours on the floor of the corridor, gasping in ragged breaths while her entire frame trembled. She was deathly pale; literally, her skin had taken on a pale, almost ghostly, hue while her body seemed to be emitting a silvery mist. Her breaths came in white puffs as if she were in the middle of her own winter climate. The silver coin that always hung around her neck was blazing red, looking as if it would catch on fire at any moment. Her eyes, which normally bore a subtle glow, looked inhumanely green against the pale flesh. Those eerie eyes were currently staring at the ghostly form of the Bloody Baron, who was floating but a foot from her.

The look on the ghost's face, which was usually blank or menacing, was one filled with confusion and awe. He was staring down at Lumina, a hand reaching out to touch her face. His eyes grew wide as his ghostly fingers trailed down along her jaw. "I can… feel you…" The Bloody Baron whispered, his fingers lingering above her lips. "You are so warm…"

Lumina shrank back from the touch and scurried away, little bits of ice that had begun to form on her flesh breaking away and falling to the floor. "D-don't touch me…" She stuttered as she tried to get to her feet, her hand braced on the wall.

"It has been so long since I have felt the warmth of flesh… why can I feel you?" The Bloody Baron glided after her, his hand reaching out toward her.

"Bloody Baron…" Severus placed his wand back within his black robes and rushed over to where Lumina struggled to keep herself upright, silver mist drifting from her frame. The ghost stopped in surprise and looked over at the Potions master, his eyes still wide with disbelief. His hand fell away and he looked back at Lumina with something akin to longing before he turned and disappeared through the wall.

Severus scowled as Lumina staggered and fell, right into his waiting arms. Bloody hell, it was like holding a block of ice. The minute he touched her, the air had grown terribly cold and even his breath eased out in white puffs. She was still trembling and he could see bits of ice still clinging to her pale flesh. He reached out to brush the ice from her cheeks and hissed in surprise. She was too cold, why was she so cold? "Ms. Peacecraft, what happened?"

Her eyes moved up to gaze into his and Severus could feel his heart clench at the sight. Staring into her eyes at that moment, he felt as if he were staring at death. She took in a ragged breath and reached up to grasp the front of his robes. "F-fire…" She whispered and closed her eyes. "I n-need warmth… t-take m-me s-somewhere w-w-warm…" Her head dropped and fell against his chest, her fists grasping his robes as if she were trying to take in his warmth. "D-Dumbledore… h-he'll know…" She trailed off as she finally slipped into unconsciousness and her hold on him slackened.

Severus stared down at the pale woman in his arms, disbelief gripping him as much as she had just done. He blinked then tucked his arm under her knees and swept her up. He moved back into his office and set her carefully down on a chair. He then pulled out his wand and pointed it wordlessly at the fireplace, flames erupted and warmth and light spilled into his dimly lit office. He took a fistful of glittering powder from a jar on the fireplace mantle and threw it into the flames. "Headmaster! I need your assistance!"

He stood back as a form began to take shape within the flames, spinning very fast and then Dumbledore emerged, rubbing ash from his robes. "My word Severus, what could possibly…" The headmaster trailed off when he caught sight of the very pale woman slumped in the chair, silver mist easing from her body. His blue eyes grew wide and he rushed toward Lumina, his wand in hand. He pressed the tip of it against the blazing red coin around her neck and muttered a single word. _"Incalfacio_."

The coin burned brighter at the force of the spell then faded to a dull, red glow. The silver mist slowly disappeared and the frost that bit her pale flesh melted away. A gentle stream of silver mist eased from her nostrils and she began to relax. Dumbledore lowered his wand but his grip remained tight. "Severus, will you please help to bring Lumina to the hospital wing? Madame Pomfrey will need to attend to her."

Severus stared at the headmaster, wondering what on earth he had just been witness to. He turned his dark eyes back to the unconscious woman slumped in the chair, who looked a little more alive than she had ten minutes ago. Even a bit of the color was returning to her cheeks. He gave a nod to Dumbledore and moved to once more sweep the woman into his arms. He waited for the headmaster to lead the way then followed after him. He glanced down at her, her head had managed to settle itself against his neck and she was certainly warmer now. What in the world had happened to this woman?

As Severus followed Dumbledore out of the dungeons and into the entrance hall, he had a bad feeling that the answer to that question was going to be more trouble than it was worth.


	11. Chapter 11

(a/n) Sorry for the late update, I've been having some issues at home and with my car and I'm sorry to say my responsibilities must come first. I love writing but lately I haven't had much time. As you can tell this chapter is fairly short but I didn't know what else to add to it so I just left it as is. I'll try and update with a better chapter tomorrow so think of this as just a filler.

Thank you for the lovely reviews, alerts and favorites!! For those of you wondering about what happened to Lumina, you'll find out exactly when Severus does… :)

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Chapter 11

Voices were murmuring from somewhere nearby but exactly where she had no idea. Her head felt like it had a terrible case of brain freeze although she was sweltering beneath the heavy blankets that were tucked tightly around her. She tried to open her eyes but her body refused to obey, what had happened?

"Headmaster, I am concerned. I've never seen anything like this before… what is wrong with her?" The voice that spoke was female, but Lumina could not place as to who the it belonged to

"Ah Poppy, I am afraid I am not at liberty to discuss that…" That voice she definitely recognized as Dumbledore's but why was he here? As a matter of fact, where was here?

"Will she… be all right?" That voice was a little hard to hear, it was soft spoken but very familiar and it sounded somewhat concerned. Damn it all, if only she could recall exactly what had happened… but she could only draw a blank.

"She will be fine as long as she is kept warm for the remainder of the evening." Dumbledore had replied and then there was a pause, as if everyone in the room were in deep thought.

"Well, I've done all I can Albus. The warming charm I've cast on the blankets should last until morning. I suggest she stay here for the night." The woman named Poppy had spoken and Lumina could feel small hands tucking the blankets even tighter around her still form. "The rest is up to her."

"Of course, thank you Poppy." Dumbledore spoke and the sound of footsteps echoed in the silent room followed by the sound of a door shutting closed. Silence fell even heavier than before and Lumina wondered if Dumbledore and the other person had left as well. She tried to open her eyes again and all she could manage was a gentle flutter, a peek of torchlight and then darkness again. Her head was beginning to pound even worse and she swallowed, her throat was so dry…

"Severus, I would appreciate if you would not speak of this to another living soul." Dumbledore had spoken again and he walked around the edge of the bed. She felt a warm hand on her forehead and then her neck. "I should have realized that this would happen but thank Merlin you were there before she had taken a turn for the worse."

"I still do not understand Headmaster… Those symptoms were unlike anything I had ever seen." Now she remembered; that soft voice belonged to the Potions master, Severus Snape. As if the name had been the key, she remembered the events that had transpired before she had blacked out. She had been getting a potion from Professor Snape and when she had left his office, there had been a ghost. It had caught her entirely by surprise, seeing as she had been too distracted to notice the cold pangs in her mind that signaled when a ghost was near. She had looked up just in time to see it emerging from the wall but by then it was too late, she had made contact with it. By Merlin's beard, the cold that had gripped her when she had touched the ghost was excruciating and the ghost itself, a ghost of a man with silver blood stains down the front of his robes, had reached out without thinking to keep her from falling. His hands had gripped her arms, gripped them as if they had once gripped in life, and the shock on his face, the confusion and awe, as he held her did not stave off the terrible whispers of death that began. The black veil had parted only slightly and she could hear the voices of those who had passed beyond death's door trying to reach out to her, to reach out to life. Somehow, she had managed to break out of the ghost's grasp but it did not stop him from following after her, to reach out to touch the warmth of life that pulsed within her. He did not realize that with every touch, the veil parted even more and her own life began to ebb away. There were so many, so many that were trying to pull her in and take her place, to feel that warmth of life again. She tried to control it, tried to close the veil but it was like trying to plug a leak in a dam, the force behind that veil was too strong. She was sure she would have lost it completely had she not fallen into the warmth of waiting arms and such warmth it was.

It had been the Potions master who had caught her, staring at her with confusion that was beyond words. She had reached out to him, tried to bury herself within the warmth of his life. Oh the sound of his heart beat, pounding strong within his chest and his breath, warm against her forehead. It was unlike anything she had ever felt and then he spoke, asking her what had happened. That voice of his never ceased to send a pleasant shiver throughout her body and at that moment, it was like a lullaby to her, soft and soothing. She recalled that he had touched her icy cheek, brushing the touch of death from her flesh and his fingers had been so gentle in its caress. It was enough to help her pull away from the black veil and back toward the warmth that was life. If the moment had not been so dire, she would have felt as if she were in a lover's embrace.

"Her condition is unique to her alone and one that I am vowed to never speak of. It is a situation that I am sure you, of all people, would understand." The sound of Dumbledore's voice had pushed the memory from her mind and she was aware of another set of footsteps walking closer to the bed. There was a brief pause and the warm hand that Lumina was sure belonged to Dumbledore had pulled away. "I can only say Severus that she had survived something that neither of us could truly understand. Her life lingers between the boundaries of life and death at all times. It is a delicate balance that must be kept constant. One slip, one mistake, and she could be lost forever." He had walked away from the bed and she listened intently to the men that spoke, seeing as it was all she could do at the moment.

"It would be best if we do not discuss this any longer." Dumbledore sounded very tired as he addressed the Potions master. "Thank you again Severus for helping her, I shudder to think what would have happened if you had not been there." He heaved a gentle sigh and Lumina wondered how bad her reaction had been this time. From what the Headmaster was saying, she was even closer to death than she had been since her last attack. She tried to open her eyes again and this time her body obeyed though with a struggle. Her lids fluttered and she peeked through her lashes, the blurry forms of Dumbledore standing a few feet from her bed. The Potions master was beside him, watching the older man. Lumina's sight would not focus but she caught the movement of Dumbledore's hand reaching out to rest on the other man's shoulder. "We should go now. There is nothing more we can do for her at the moment." He gave Snape's shoulder a pat before turning to walk away, his footsteps echoing off of the stone walls. "I will have to meet with all of the ghosts and explain the situation… boundaries will have to be addressed…" He was talking more to himself than to the Potions master, his head shaking sadly as he left the room.

Lumina's eyes were beginning to tire and they closed of their own accord, the darkness was almost welcoming. The torchlight had been somewhat blinding to her eyesight but that would pass; it usually took awhile for her body to adjust itself after a contact like that. Judging from the sight that had greeted her when she had opened her eyes, she was in the hospital wing. How in the world did she get here from the dungeons? Dumbledore couldn't have carried her; maybe he had used a levitating spell? But then why was the Potions master here? Had he carried her? She had recalled a moment of strong arms and warm skin, a strong pulse beating against her forehead…

She was lost in her own thoughts; since it was so quiet she assumed she had been left alone to rest. She was not aware of the man in black robes that still stood beside her bed, watching her with curiosity and just a light touch of worry. He had walked closer to her and studied her still form beneath the light. She looked at peace, the hue of her skin no longer pale but pulsing with life. She looked as if she would be all right but from what he had witnessed, Severus wondered how often that strangeness, whatever it was, occurred with her. When had it started and what exactly was it? He remembered how the Bloody Baron had said that he could feel her but a ghost could not touch a living being without passing through them. It didn't seem to apply at that moment in time for Severus had seen how the ghost had touched Lumina's face and how his touch had trailed along her flesh as if his fingers had been solid. It was confusing and made even more so between the strange silver mist that emitted from her body, the frost that had bitten her cheeks and the deathly paleness that had gripped her. It was almost like she had been turning into a ghost herself…

Severus studied her face, studied how the raven dark hair splayed out around the pillow, the unnatural white strip falling across her cheeks and lips. Watching her sleeping like this, it was like seeing her for the first time. It did not truly strike him until now as to how she appeared to look so young and so old at the same time. Without thinking, he reached out to her, his fingers brushing the white hair away from her face. Her lashes fluttered at that moment and he pulled his hand away so fast one would have thought he had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to. Her green eyes were unfocused and the haunting silver of her pupils seemed brighter than usual. Those orbs settled on his face for a heartbeat and Severus could feel his heart pound just a little harder at the sight of those emerald depths. Silence passed between them and then she did something that almost made his breath catch. A tiny smile tilted the corners of her lips up, it was so small and yet it was the first real smile that he had ever seen on her.

"Severus…" She breathed his name with a soft sigh, it was the first time she had ever addressed him by his name. It seemed almost surreal and he wondered if she was truly awake or only dreaming. Her hand had emerged from beneath the covers, trembling slightly, and her fingertips brushed against the hand that had but a moment ago brushed the hair from her face. "Thank you…" She whispered and then slowly drifted off to sleep, her hand falling back down upon the blankets.

Severus stood there, his dark eyes watching as her breathing grew deep and even. He swallowed the sudden lump that had formed in his throat and reached out to pull the blankets back over her. A troubled look appeared on his sallow skinned face as he turned to leave the hospital room, his curtain of dark hair hiding his face from view. He had no idea what it was about her that bothered him but he knew that those strange green eyes were the root of it all…


	12. Chapter 12

(A/n) Here we are, a new chapter as promised. Hope you like it. It's a little longer this time.

Thank you for the wonderful reviews, especially to Taciturn Night, your words are greatly appreciated. It is only life as they say; it will get better given time.

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Chapter 12

Daylight streamed in through the windows, casting a gentle glow upon the woman who slept peacefully in the hospital bed. A light frown twitched at her features as the sunlight slowly moved over her eyes. She groaned and turned her head to the side, trying to avoid the morning light that was bringing her back to the waking world. She opened her eyes with a gentle flutter and snapped them closed just a quickly, the sun was shining right in her eyes. She wished she could have slept a little longer but of course she had to have the bed that was facing the windows with the morning sun. She had been sleeping so peacefully and she had been dreaming, a wonderfully sweet and warm dream. She couldn't remember what it had been about, all she could recall was the feeling of being embraced by strong arms and a soft voice whispering to her, telling her that everything would be all right…

"So you're awake now? I was beginning to worry that you would sleep the day away." Lumina peeked through her lashes to find a middle aged witch walking toward her bed with a tray held in both hands. She moved around the bed to the nightstand and set the tray down, the bottle and glass rattling gently from the impact.

"How long have I been asleep?" Lumina pulled away the covers, now a little cooler since the warming charms had worn off, and stared at the woman who was Poppy Pomfrey. Lumina had met the healer earlier in the month when she had had to help clean the hospital wing. It wasn't a very fun job on her list of chores to do but Madam Pomfrey had been all too kind in helping her. The older woman leaned over her patient and started to check her temperature, her cool hands moving over Lumina's forehead and neck.

"Only for the night, I must admit you gave us quite a scare. I have never seen the headmaster so distressed. What on earth happened to you?" Poppy motioned for her patient to sit up, which Lumina complied with a bit of a struggle. She was still weak and she managed to get upright with some assistance from the healer. Lumina closed her eyes as Poppy proceeded to check her pulse and her breathing.

"I…" Lumina frowned lightly as she thought back to the symptoms that usually happened when she came in contact with any type of spiritual being. What had happened to her? She supposed she could say that she was cursed but that was a little fact she could not share. She opened her eyes and glanced up at Poppy with light smile. "I guess it was stress… the Headmaster did warn me that I had been overworking myself."

"Hmph…" The healer gave her a look but said nothing else as she finished her check up then moved over to the tray. "Here, drink this. It's a warming potion; it will help to raise your body temperature back to normal." She poured the potion into the small glass; the liquid was as red as wine and steam rose up though the room was warm. She handed the glass over to her patient just as the younger woman noticed the small vase of flowers that were beside the tray.

"Whose are those?" Lumina asked as she took the glass and promptly drank all of the contents. She shuddered as the potion burned its way down her throat toward her stomach; it had an aftertaste that kind of reminded her of cinnamon. The effect of the potion was gradual and it took a moment before she began to feel a little hot beneath the blankets.

Poppy glanced at the flowers and frowned, looking as if the sight of the flowers would somehow jeopardize her patient's health. "Those are yours as well as the cards that came with them." She took the glass and set it back on the tray beside the bottle before taking the tray in both hands. "Now, I want you to stay beneath those blankets until I come back. You are still a little too cold for my liking. I will be back in a few moments with breakfast. Hopefully by then your temperature will be warmer."

"Thank you." Lumina smiled at the healer just before the older woman turned and proceeded to walk back to her office. The sound of the door closing echoed off the walls and she sighed heavily with the silence that followed. Of course, contact with a spiritual being had to have happened at some point with all of the ghosts that haunted these corridors, but it still didn't make it any less pleasant for her. She wondered if the protective charm that had been cast on the silver coin around her neck was beginning to weaken…

Chewing thoughtfully on the inside of her cheek, she looked over at the flowers and cards that rested on the nightstand. She leaned over to sniff at the small bouquet and smiled softly, she wondered who had sent them? They were rather pretty with different types of blossoms that she could not name off the top of her head. She noticed a small piece of parchment sticking up from the petals and reached out to take it. She opened it up and read the tiny note written in an untidy scrawl.

_Lumina,_

_Dumbledore told the staff and students this morning at breakfast that you weren't feeling well. I had Professor Sprout pick these for me; I never was good with plants. Hope you like them. Get better soon._

_Hagrid_

_P.S_

_The Blast-Ended Skrewts are doing really well. When you're back on your feet, you should come see them._

A smile touched the corners of her lips as she folded the note and set it aside. Sweet Hagrid, he had been managing to persuade her to come down once a week to help in the care of those mutated lobsters that, for some strange reason, were growing at an alarming rate despite that fact no one knew what they ate. She shook her head as she started to read over the rest of the get well cards that had been left for her. She was surprised to find one from Professor Flitwick and Professor Burbage, the Muggle Studies teacher. Professor Burbage struck Lumina as a rather odd witch, who had taken quite a shine to her, since Lumina had spent over a decade living in the Muggle world. She could remember the first class that she had helped with the older woman. Needless to say it had been a rather unique experience in trying to explain the purpose of her "Muggle Wands" to the students as well taking the guns apart and putting back together again. Professor Burbage had been so adamant about giving the students a demonstration as to how the guns worked but Lumina had to arrange that for another time. Doing target practice in a classroom was something she was not going to try anytime soon.

The rest of the cards were from a few of the students that she had gotten to know over her brief time here at Hogwarts, including one from Harry and his friends. She set the cards aside with a gentle smile and her hand brushed against a small, green bottle that was sitting right beside the vase of flowers. It had been so well hidden, she was sure she would have never noticed it. She blinked in surprise as picked up the small bottle along with the small note attached to it. Her curiosity peeking, she opened the parchment and read the little note; the handwriting was small and cramped.

_Keep this with you in case you should need it. It will warm you the instant that you drink it._

_S.S._

She stared at the note and then at the bottle, it felt incredibly hot within her palm. How strange that he would be so… thoughtful. For some reason, the sight of the note and the little green bottle gave her such warm feeling within her heart and it wasn't because of the Poppy's potion. Settling back against the pillows, she tucked the note and the bottle from the Potion's master on the nightstand within reach. Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead, which was a good sign that her body was getting back to normal. She stared at the thoughtful notes and gifts from those who wished her well and she smiled softly. Who would have thought that she would have found a home here within the halls of a magic school?

--

It wasn't until much later in the day that Madam Pomfrey had released her patient, deeming her healthy enough to leave the hospital wing. She had looked over Lumina one more time before setting her off with strict instructions not to do any kind of physical labor and to rest as much as possible. "The moment that you start to feel unwell you come straight here, do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am." Lumina had replied in turn, an amused smile playing on her lips. She had then left the hospital wing and made her way through the corridors back down to her office. She was looking forward to taking a warm bath and changing into fresh clothes. Once in her office, she set the flowers and cards on her desk. She paused as she studied the little green bottle and note from the Potions master then took them and went into her room.

An hour later, after a wonderfully warming bubble bath, she had discovered that all of her Muggle clothing had disappeared from her wardrobe. She stood there with the towel wrapped tightly around her body and her mouth gaping. Who in the world could have taken her clothes? All she had were the black, work robes that she had left untouched in the far corner of the wardrobe as well as the gown that remained tightly wrapped in protective cloth. She glanced around the inside of the wardrobe for any other articles of her clothes but they were gone. Something told her that the house elves that handled all of the necessary cleaning and cooking of the castle had just paid a visit. Her dirty laundry had been piling up but she didn't think that the house elves would have taken all of her clothing in the process. Rubbing a hand over her face, she grabbed a set of robes with a groan and got dressed.

Lumina detested wearing wizards' clothing; they were terribly difficult to move around in and she always felt as if they left her too exposed, despite the fact that they actually covered a good deal of her body. She equipped her holsters, which were hidden beneath the folds of the black robes then went to twist her hair up into a bun. Wisps of white hair fell about her face and she moved to stare at her reflection in the mirror above her vanity table. The woman who stared back at her resembled that of her mother, the difference being of course that her hair was not gold. She closed her eyes against the sight and turned away from the mirror. Her mother… Lumina missed her so much. Sighing softly, she slipped her feet into a pair of shoes and left the room, the door closing softly behind her.

--

Lumina had left the castle altogether and walked across the sloping grounds toward Hagrid's cabin. Her robes flowed around her with each step she took; she had a fist full of the black cloth held up so she would avoid tripping over the hem. She hated robes with such a passion… Stopping in front of the door, she knocked on the wood, the sound of Fang's barking soon followed suit. Heavy footsteps thumped toward the door and it swung open to reveal the rather large form of the groundskeeper.

Hagrid's beetle black eyes glanced down at the woman who stood on his front step and his brows rose up in surprise. "Lumina? What are yeh doin' here? Are yeh alrigh'?" The corners of this thick, dark beard lifted as he smiled at her and stepped aside to let her in, taking Fang firmly by the collar to keep the boarhound from jumping all over her. She smiled up at her friend as she entered the cabin and gave a nod. "I'm fine; I just had a bit of a fainting spell… nothing to worry about." She stood by the door with her hands hidden within the large sleeves of her robes. "I came by just to thank you for the flowers. They were lovely."

"Did yeh really like 'em?" Hagrid looked positively delighted at that as he closed the door. "Well, I'm glad and I'm happy ter see yeh feelin' better. Care for some tea? I was jus' about to sit down fer a cup." He moved over to the large table and pulled out a chair for his guest. Lumina followed after him and sat down with a thank you. His dark eyes were watching her closely for some odd reason and then it finally hit him as to why she looked so different. "Lumina, are yeh wearin' robes?"

The response was a faint touch of color in her cheeks and she looked down at her hands, trying her best not to look embarrassed. "Oh… er, yes. This was all I had left… dirty laundry and all…" She trailed off and blushed a little more, how she hated wearing robes.

"What are yeh embarrassed about? I jus' never saw yeh wear robes before. You look different is all, nothing wrong with tha'. It looks good on yeh." He had been serving her a cup of tea while he had said this and he promptly turned a deep shade of red, the tea sloshing over the cup. "Er… not that yeh don' look nice all the res' of the time it's jus'… eh… sorry Lumina. Didn't mean ter say it like tha'." He grumbled and set the tea pot down on the table and sat himself down in his chair across from her.

"It's no big deal." She said as she tried her best not to laugh. "So… um… how are the skrewts?" With that question, he began to delve into the topic with all the excitement of a schoolboy. Lumina listened to him as he went on and on about their growth and strange habits, what plans he had for his students for future classes. Hagrid really was just a big old teddy bear and she felt herself relaxing while she listened to him. Of everyone that she knew, aside from Dumbledore, Hagrid was the closest thing to a true friend that she could say with ease. And so she had spent the remainder of her afternoon chatting with the groundskeeper about his favorite subject of magical creatures until the sun began to sink toward the horizon.

"Look at the time! It's almos' dinner." Hagrid got to his feet and gathered up the dishes while Lumina had moved to help. "Nah, don' concern yerself. Jus' sit tight and I'll walk with yeh up to the school."

"All right…" She smiled and waited for her friend, her arms crossed beneath her breasts while her fingers drummed a rhythm. After a few minutes, Hagrid was all done and they left his cabin to head back to castle, the evening was a bit chilly, the hint that winter would be fast approaching. She gathered her robes as she walked, trying to keep up with Hagrid's long strides. They were chatting even when they had swept of the front steps and into the entrance hall and onward the Great Hall. Their voices soon mingled with the rest of the hundreds of voices that filled the large room. They made their way to the staff table and took their seats, still deep in conversation.

Lumina did not notice that a particular set of dark eyes were watching her from further down along the table, a spark of interest lighting up the other wise scowling face of Professor Snape.

--

He had noticed her the moment she had walked into the Great Hall with the groundskeeper, her face lit with a smile as she listened to the large man talk. The sight of the black robes flowing about her petite form was not what he had been expecting. She looked… different was the best word that he could come up with. Perhaps it was because she looked more like a witch and not a Muggle since she always wore those funny clothes for whatever strange reason. He watched her as she went to take her seat at the table, her smile never wavering as she responded to whatever Hagrid had asked of her.

Severus wondered what it was that she spoke of with the groundskeeper before the sound of her laughter caught his ears. It was a melodious sound that, strangely enough, he liked. Tearing his gaze away from her, he turned his attention back to scowling in the general direction of the Gryffindor table. Why was he even bothering? It was apparent that she had gotten over whatever it was that had crippled her last night. Perhaps it was because of the worry that had been gnawing him for all the hours of the night. The sight of her pale flesh and the look of death in those green eyes haunting him as much as the ghosts haunted this school… His dark eyes were drawn once more to the sight of her further up the table and he watched her, unaware of anything else but the smile that touched her lips.

In the middle of the staff table, Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes caught sight of the Potion's master that kept his dark gaze on a particular spot of the table. He followed the line of vision and saw Lumina in deep conversation with Hagrid. The groundskeeper had said something and she had laughed in response, the sight of it such a breath of fresh air. Watching her at that moment, she resembled her mother so strongly…

Turning his gaze away from her, he studied Severus as the faint interest sparked in his dark eyes again. Since the night before, Dumbledore had noticed that the professor had seemed a bit distracted. He wondered… Placing the tips of his fingers together, he stared up at the enchanted ceiling; the sky was a deep, dark blue, with the first few stars slowly winking to life. _Ceverina, I do believe we just might have a strong chance at making your daughter whole again… _

--

The moment dinner was over; Lumina had bid Hagrid goodnight and left the Great Hall, trailing behind the last of the students. She paused in mid-step just around the corner of the double doors, feeling something very warm sliding loose from around her neck she reached up to undo the loose knot of the leather cord. "Damn it…" She sucked her teeth as she pulled the cord away, a little green bottle hanging from the end of it. She focused on redoing the knot properly, her fingers working with the leather when she heard footsteps behind her.

She turned around to find the Severus watching her, his curtain of dark hair hanging around his hook nosed face. She paused in her task, her fingers tangled in the cord while the little green bottle swung lazily from side to side. His dark eyes studied hers before moving down to catch sight of the green bottle swinging from the end of the leather cord. He had made that potion for her last night, it had been a spur of the moment thing seeing as he couldn't sleep without the sight of her pale face filling his mind. She had needed warmth and this was the strongest potion he that could think of that had instant warming effects. Why he chosen the green bottle was beyond him, he had only grabbed an empty bottle from the shelf of his stores. It was only a coincidence, he had not noticed until he had already placed the stopper in and by then it was too late to change it. Why in the world did she have it hanging from a leather cord?

Lumina noticed his dark eyes watching the green bottle and then the slightly raised brow in question. A deep blush rose in response and she quickly hid the bottle and the cord within her robes. "Severus, I'm sorry. Am I in your way?"

His dark eyes snapped up to hers while a blank look played across his features. He had noticed that she had called him by his first name again. What had brought this change? A light frown replaced the blank look and he shook his head slowly. "No Ms. Peacecraft… I was only concerned. After what had happened last night, I wanted to see if you were all right."

She watched him, faint surprise quite evident upon her face. Her green eyes flicked between his dark ones and she gave a small nod. "Thanks to you… if you hadn't been there, I don't know what would have happened…" She smiled up at him and pulled out the green bottle. "Thank you for the potion as well. It was very thoughtful of you… I hope I won't need to use it any time soon but I'll keep it close, just in case."

Severus could only gaze at her; the sudden warmth that shone in her eyes was a bit unnerving, considering the fact that it was directed towards him. He cleared his throat and looked away, his dark hair hiding his face from view. "Yes, well… if you are in need of more, do not hesitate to ask. The headmaster had given strict instructions in case an incident like this should occur again."

At the mention of the potion being an order from Dumbledore, the warmth had disappeared from her eyes and the smile faded just a little. "Oh… yes, thank you." She glanced down at the unfinished knot of the cord, a light frown tugging at the corners of her lips. Severus watched her as uncomfortable silence fell between them, his own frown growing deep. Without saying a word, he reached out to take the cord from her hands and redid the knot so that it held tight. He gave it a tug, satisfied that it would not come loose and held it out to her.

Lumina gave a small smile as she took the cord and threw it around her neck, the little green bottle settling comfortably just beneath the silver coin and over her heart. "Thanks…"

"You're welcome Ms. Peacecraft…" He gave a curt not to her before turning to walk toward the narrow stairwell that led to the dungeons. He was caught by surprise when a hand had wrapped around his arm and pulled him back. He glanced down at the woman who held his arm, her green eyes staring up at him with a look that was hard to read. He raised a brow in question and she quickly released his arm, a gentle blush rising into her cheeks. "I do mean it, thank you…" She smiled again and tilted her head slightly. "And if it's all right, please just call me Lumina. I think after all that had happened last night, it's enough to get past the formalities."

Severus studied her, that faint spark of… something appearing in his dark eyes. He was silent for a heartbeat before he nodded to her, his dark hair falling down around his face. "As you wish… Sleep well, Lumina." He gazed at her a moment longer before turning and walking off, his dark robes billowing out behind him.

Lumina watched him as he disappeared down the stairwell, a thoughtful look on her face. The way he had said her name, it had been so gentle, almost as if he had been caressing each syllable with infinite care. His voice never failed to effect her in some way and she had tried her best to ignore the pleasant shiver that had went through her. The image of his dark eyes, so secretive and so endless, remained strong in her mind and refused to let go. She didn't know what it was about that man that bothered her but she knew that it was something she would have to try to ignore. She stood there, watching the stairwell, until she finally got a hold of herself and walked off toward the corridor that led to her office.

Emerging from the Great Hall, the headmaster ran his long fingers over his silver beard, having overheard the entire exchange. He chuckled to himself as he walked toward the marble staircase, now that had been very interesting…


	13. Chapter 13

(A/n) Well it's been two months since the last update and I do apologize for that. I haven't had much inspiration to write this story but people have reviewed recently and the hits for this just keep going up funny enough as it is, so I figured I should update now. I'm surprised people like this story so much, I've always felt that Lumina was such a Mary Sue XD

Ah well, thank you for all of the reviews, favorites and alerts!

* * *

_Chapter 13_

The crash that echoed from the narrow stairwell that led down to the dungeons and into the entrance hall (followed by the scream of rage) had a number of the students of Hogwarts that were heading to lunch stop in surprise. A heartbeat passed before a streak of dust colored fur emerged from the narrow stairwell followed by a woman in a black trench coat. Her boots thudded against the floor as she chased after the cat that was Mrs. Norris, the white part of her hair sticking to the bloody gash that was on her temple.

"Damn that blasted cat!" Lumina growled as she ran after the caretaker's pet, weaving passed the students that were either gawking or leaping out of the path of the angry woman. "This is the _last_ time- Gotcha!" She leapt forward and reached out to grab the cat by the scruff of her skinny neck.

Mrs. Norris hissed at the woman and swiped a clawed paw at the hand that held her tightly. Lumina glared at the animal as she held her up, her green eyes blazing with anger. "Oh no, don't give me none of that. I warned you to stay the hell out of my way."

Mrs. Norris hissed again in reply, her lamp-like eyes staring at the woman as Lumina turned on her heel to walk back toward the entrance hall. The students that were lingering in the entrance hall watched Lumina with amused smiles as she stood in the middle of the hall and waited. It didn't take long, a few minutes later there was a thundering of footsteps racing down the marble staircase. Filch was completely out of breath as he nearly tripped down the last step, his beady, pale eyes glaring at Lumina with pure hate.

"_You!_" He screeched as he pointed a finger at the woman, his jowls quivering from his anger. "Release my cat at once!"

Lumina smiled sweetly in reply as she held up Mrs. Norris and tilted her head, a trickle of blood oozing from the gash. "Oh is this yours?" The cat meowed pitifully as she stared at her master.

"You know very well that she is my cat!" Filch spat, his eyes nearly popping from his head. "Now _let her go!_"

The smile fell from Lumina's face as she walked toward the caretaker and shook his cat once. "I told you Filch to keep your blasted feline away from me. I am not going to get myself killed tripping over this stupid animal just because you want her to keep an eye on me." She narrowed her eyes then as she suddenly pulled out one of her guns and aimed it at the cat. The silence from the students that were witnessing this whole scene was almost deafening as they glanced between the caretaker and the staff's assistant. Lumina placed the barrel of the gun right next to the cat, her frown deepening. "I'm going to tell you this one last time: keep your flea infested pussy away from me. The next time I trip over her, all you're going to get back is a pile of fur."

Filch glared at the woman who held his cat while the few cogs in his mind began to turn. He eyed the gun that was aimed over his precious pet while his face was changing from red to purple with rage. "If you even _dare_ harm a whisker on my cat-." He didn't get to finish his sentence because a strange click had cut him off, the sound echoing through the silence.

"Try me…" She growled, her thumb pressed over the safety of the gun. "Keep her away from me and your cat will enjoy the rest of her nine lives." Lumina clicked the safety back into place and then holstered her gun as she glared at the caretaker, her green eyes sparking with anger and dislike. A heartbeat passed and then Mrs. Norris was thrown into Filch's waiting arms.

"You just wait until the headmaster hears of this!" He screeched as he cradled his cat close.

"Oh please do tell him…I'll be looking forward to this little meeting." She said as she took a step closer to jab a finger against his thin chest. "I don't like you and I don't like your cat. Stay the hell away from me and we'll get along just fine." She turned on her booted heel then and walked away, ignoring the stares from the students as she made her way back down toward the dungeons. She could hear Filch yelling at the students who had been foolish enough to linger and then there was blessed silence. Lumina took a moment to gather back the remains of her temper as she stared at the mess that was left over from her fall down the stairs. She had been bringing another cauldron to Potions when that cat had appeared from nowhere on the step below, curling around her legs with a low mew. Of course it was inevitable that she would go crashing down those steps and bust the new cauldron all thanks to that stupid cat showing up in unexpected places.

Lumina bent down to pick up the cracked cauldron and sighed heavily, wishing that she had the magic just this once so she could repair the thing. She didn't feel like lugging a new cauldron back down these stairs. She wondered how Dumbledore was going to handle this, she winced and shook her head. She had lost her temper and she had drawn a weapon for no reason but she was tired of that old caretaker and tired of his stupid cat…

"I must say, for someone who bears the last name Peacecraft, you certainly do know how to attract some degree of violence."

A pleasant shiver ran through Lumina as that familiar, soft voice came drifting toward her from further up the corridor. She ignored it as she looked up to find the Potions master walking toward her, a slight sneer curling on his thin lips. She stood there a moment as the comment finally sunk in and then she scoffed and shook her head. Had he just cracked a joke? It had sounded like nothing but pure sarcasm but she was sure that it had been a joke. Again, it was hard to tell with this man since he never did anything but scowl.

Severus stood in front of her as he studied her, noting the nasty gash she had sustained from her tumble down the stairs. He had been expecting her to arrive with a new cauldron on hand but he had not been expecting to hear that familiar yell that had filled the corridor outside of his classroom. He had rushed out to see what trouble had occurred to the woman this time but it was only to catch the sight of her trench coat disappearing back up the stairwell as she cursed the cat that was Mrs. Norris. He had to admit, he never had the urge to laugh about anything but the fact that she was chasing the caretaker's cat had struck him as quite funny. He was thankful that she had not been around to see the very small and very amused smile that had appeared.

"Ah hah… so the Potions master does have a sense of humor..." Lumina gave a strained smile as she started to pull the hair away from the gash on her temple, wincing slightly at the stinging pain.

"I have a sense of humor? I shudder to think of the possibility…" He replied dryly as he walked closer to her, his dark eyes taking in the sight of the blood that still oozed from her temple. "I will say this however, that tumble down the stairs left a bit of a mark on you."

She dropped her hand while a scowl played on her face, the temper flaring back up. "Thanks to that god forsaken cat, now the cauldron that I was supposed to replace your melted one with is completely busted."

The sneer on Severus' lips twitched once as he pulled his wand from his black robes. "Better to have cracked that cauldron rather than your head… Here, allow me." The curl was still on his lips, which Lumina supposed was as close to a smile as she would ever see on him, and he waved his wand over her gash with a muttered word. The wound healed over so all that was visible was a clotted bruise. "There, try to be more careful next time." He said as he slipped his wand back within his robes.

"I'll try but knowing my luck I'll be matching this bruise with another one later on…" She shifted the cauldron to her left hip as she smiled up at him, her green eyes sparkling with amusement. "Thanks again Severus… Do you think you could patch up this cauldron while you're at it? I don't feel like dragging another one down here."

His eyes studied her while a muscle ticked in his jaw. "If I did that then it would be defeating the purpose of your particular vocation, would it not Lumina?" His sneer returned at the annoyance that flickered across her face. The sight of those green eyes rolling followed by the sigh that slipped passed her lips was all he could do to keep any further sarcastic comments to himself.

"You're just laughing at me behind my back, aren't you?" She said, the annoyance on her face growing as hefted the cauldron a little higher.

"Laugh? I am afraid to disappoint you Lumina but I hardly know the meaning of the word…" He replied, his dark gaze studying the ghostly silver of her pupils.

"Uh huh…" An amused smile played on her lips as she held firmly onto the cauldron. "Well, enjoy being short a cauldron professor because I am not coming back until after classes are done. These things are heavy enough as it is without dragging them through corridors filled with spastic teenagers." She wrapped an arm around the cracked cauldron and lifted her hand in mock salute. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a date with a clogged toilet in the Prefects' bathroom." She flashed a smile his way before she turned and disappeared up the narrow stairwell to the entrance hall.

Severus stared at the steps, the sight of that smile firmly engraved in his memory. It had been two weeks since that night she had overcome her strange encounter with the Bloody Baron and during that time, Lumina's attitude toward him had warmed considerably. He was not sure exactly what he had done to prompt this sudden change but he found that he was beginning to like the sight of that warm, friendly smile. The fact that it was directed toward him made it even more dumbfounding. She didn't seem to be strongly affected by the sarcastic and often cold comments that he would say, not like she had been when they had first met. Instead, she would act much as she had just now and respond with a bit of her own dry sarcasm and that smile.

He sighed gently as he turned to walk back to his classroom, the question that she had asked earlier bouncing around in his mind. Did he laugh at her behind her back? Absolutely not… He only had a few very small and amused smiles appear on his thin lips because of her antics with the old caretaker and his cat, that's all. That was definitely not laughing behind her back…

--

"I understand your frustration Lumina but that does not give you the authority to pull a weapon on a defenseless animal. You must learn self control especially when there are students about."

Lumina stood in Minerva McGonagall's office, her arms firmly folded beneath her breasts as she studied the older woman with a rather bored look on her face. The black scales of her trench coat glinted in the torchlight and reflected various shades of silver and grey. She raised a slender brow in question as she studied the professor and then her green eyes flicked to the old caretaker that stood beside her.

Minerva's gaze turned to Filch then and her lips thinned to the point that they were nothing more that a pale line across her face. "Argus, I suggest you keep Mrs. Norris close to you and away from Ms. Peacecraft. She has been a welcome addition to this staff and has proven her worth many times over with all that she had done to help keep this school running smoothly. What reason has she given you to believe that she has not been doing her job?"

The old man stared at the woman in surprise, his pale, beady eyes flicking back and forth between the professor and the younger woman beside him. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing emerged and he frowned deeply as he glared at Lumina. "No reason comes to mind at the moment ma'am…" He wheezed in reply, his frown growing worse as he said these words.

Minerva blinked and then glanced between the two of them. "Well, if there is nothing that you can think of then I suggest that you allow Ms. Peacecraft to do her job in peace." She sighed as she got to her feet and shook her head. "Now, as I am sure you are aware, the delegations from Beaubaxton and Durmstrang will be arriving in a week. We are going to need your help to make Hogwarts look presentable for their arrival." Her gaze went to Filch and gave a nod. "Argus, I am counting on you to direct the elves for the top floors of the castle." She turned to Lumina and a spark of amusement appeared in her eyes then. "Lumina, I am leaving the direction of the elves for the main floors to you. We need to get every speck of dust out of this castle, is that understood?"

Both the caretaker and the staff's assistant gave a nod in consent and then they were dismissed. Lumina followed the old caretaker out of Minerva's office and an amused smile played on her lips as she tucked the white part of her hair behind her ear. "Why Filch, I'm touched… you couldn't think of a bad thing to say about me?"

Filch stopped in mid-step and whirled around to glare at her, his face beginning to turn red from anger. A heartbeat passed before he let out a growl in reply and stalked away, his footsteps echoing in the empty hall. Lumina chuckled as she turned and went the other way, looking to head back to her office first before she would get started on getting this castle cleaned. She had the feeling that she was going to be enjoying her job a lot more from now on…

--

"Hold tightly onto my hand Lumi… don't let go no matter what."

"Y-yes Daddy…"

The little girl stood close beside the tall man that was her father, eyeing the black doors and blue candlelight that rotated around them against the circular wall at a terrible pace. She had no idea which door they had come from and she was too scared to do much of anything save to hold tightly onto her father's hand. As quickly as it had begun, the rotating stopped and the large hand that held hers twitched once.

"All right… come along."

The man pulled the little girl straight across the circular room to one of the black doors, his hand holding hers tightly. He opened the door and walked through as quickly as possible, the little girl struggling to keep up with his long strides. The moment the door closed behind them, they found themselves in a large, dimly lit room that was rectangular in shape. The center of this room was sunken, creating a large stone pit about twenty feet below from where they stood. Stone benches surrounded the walls and descended toward the pit, looking like the seats of an amphitheatre. In the very center of this pit, standing unsupported on a raised dais, was a very ancient, stone archway that bore a tattered black veil over its opening. There were no windows in this room and no vents or holes to be found that could warrant any draft of air to come through and yet the veil fluttered ever so softly, as if a hand had reached out to gently run across its surface.

"There it is…" The tone of her father's voice was one of triumph and relief, his hold on her hand growing firm as he pulled her down over the benches toward the pit. Once on the bottom, his anxious pace seemed to dim as the tall archway loomed over father and daughter. "This is it Lumi… this is what will help to give you magic." He turned to glance down at her and then got down on his knees, his brown eyes studying his daughter's green ones. "Promise me that you'll stay close, no matter what happens."

"W-what is going to happen?" Her small voice squeaked, her eyes growing wide as she stared at her father, the fear beginning to grow even worse.

"Nothing bad…" He smiled as he ran his hand down her dark hair. "Once I start this spell though, you can not move, not even a tiny bit. No matter what happens you must promise to stay close and stay still…" His eyes grew hard then, the tiny glint of madness shining in them. "Do you promise me Lumi?"

The little girl swallowed back the lump of fear that had risen in her throat and the love for her father overcame her urge to run away. She was trembling but she gave a small nod in reply, the tears beginning to well in her eyes. Her father's smile was large and he leaned forward to place a firm kiss upon his daughter's brow.

"There's my girl… now we don't have much time." He got back to his feet and turned to face the archway, the tattered, black veil fluttering and swaying from some non-existent breeze. He pulled his daughter toward the dais as he reached into his robes, his eyes growing large. From a pocket deep within his robes, he withdrew, not his wand, but a two sided circular mirror. It looked as ancient as the archway, the mirror on one side reflected a pure silver light while the mirror on the other side reflected nothing at all, only darkness played on its smooth surface. Her father gazed down at the mirror in his hand and the manic glint in his eyes grew worse. "The Mirror of Nexvita… This will help to give you magic Lumi… all of that energy just waiting to be tapped…"

The little girl stared at the funny mirror and then at the ancient archway, her green eyes growing wide as the black veil fluttered again. Her heart began to flutter like a caged bird with in her small chest and she knew that something very wrong was going to happen…

--

Lumina staggered back away from the tip of Dumbledore's wand, her eyes wide as the fear from her childhood came back at full force. The silvery memory remained dangling from the tip of the wand and Dumbledore studied her with concern as he dropped it into the stone basin to join with the rest of her memories. "Lumina…"

"No, I don't want to think about it." She shut her eyes and shook her head, backing away from the stone basin on his desk toward the door of his office.

"Lumina, please, that mirror… Tell me about that mirror." Dumbledore slipped his wand within his blue robes as he walked around his desk toward the young woman. The subtle glow of her eyes seemed to heighten as her face grew pale and she shook her head again in reply.

"Later… let's talk about this later… I need air." She glanced around the office and took in a breath, already feeling a panic attack coming on. She had tried so hard to bury that memory and to have seen it all over again… "I have to get outside Albus, I'm sorry."

Dumbledore paused in mid-step, his blue eyes growing sad as he studied her. He gave a nod in understanding and watched as Lumina turned on her heel and practically flew out the door. There was the sound of a low grunt as she collided into someone who had been about to knock on the door. Dumbledore watched as Severus held Lumina steady with a firm hand, the sudden flicker of concern that crossed his hook nosed face as he caught sight of the paleness of hers, struck a cord with the headmaster. He had not forgotten about the interaction between the two of them that one evening and he knew he was not imagining the look of slight worry in the professor's dark eyes.

"I'm sorry Severus, I didn't see you there…" Lumina said as she glanced up at him, her eyes still swimming with unshed tears.

"No harm had been done…" He replied as he released his hold on her, a light scowl touching his sallow skinned face. "Are you feeling all right Lumina?"

"I'm…" She hesitated and glanced back to catch Dumbledore watching them. She frowned and gazed up at the Potions master, her hands clenched tightly into fists. "I'm fine. I'm sorry for rushing into you like that… if you'll excuse me."

Severus gave a curt not in reply and he stepped aside to let the woman pass. A muscle ticked in her jaw as she glanced at him once more before muttering a thank you and rushing down the spiral steps. Severus stared at the steps that slowly eased down and out of sight, his scowl deepening slightly. Dumbledore cleared his throat, catching the flicker of worry disappearing from the younger man's eyes the moment Severus had turned to face him.

"Severus, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Severus gathered his long black robes as he entered the office, the door closing behind him of its own accord. "I had wanted to speak with you in regards to the matter of the guests that will be arriving on the 30th of October." His scowl grew menacing as he shook his head once, his dark hair falling about his face as usual. "In particular, the headmaster of Durmstrang, who-."

"Yes, I am very much aware Severus and I am afraid that there is little that can be done in regards to it." He smiled kindly as he tilted his head to the side, his blue eyes studying Severus with keen interest. "We will just have to adjust and hope that we will get along to the best of our abilities. After all, that is what the Triwizard Tournament is all about, correct?"

"I suppose…" Severus replied, the look in his dark eyes still menacing. He looked as if he wanted to say more but thought it wise to keep these comments to himself. Instead, he took in a breath and released his dark robes, the scowl on his face easing somewhat as that faint flicker of concern from before played across his face. Dumbledore noted this with extreme interest and he moved toward his desk to gaze down into the Pensieve.

"Are there any other concerns that you would like to bring to my attention while you are here Severus?" Dumbledore said, glancing back at the professor to find that there was indeed something bothering him. Severus said nothing at first, his scowl returning as he appeared to be gathering his thoughts. After a moment, he gave a nod in reply as he returned his gaze to the other wizard.

"Ms. Peacecraft… her strange symptoms from whatever curse she suffers from…" He walked closer to the desk, his eyes flicking down to watch the swirling contents in the stone basin. "I have had no luck in finding anything in regards to just what exactly this curse is…"

Dumbledore's smile revealed none of the relief that he felt as his blue eyes studied the younger man. "So, do you believe that it is a curse that has been cast upon Lumina?"

"I see no other explanation…" Severus frowned, knowing that look on the headmaster's face. "The unnatural white streak in her hair speaks plainly. She should be no more than in her late twenties if I am to judge correctly." He folded his arms across his chest then, remembering that night in the corridor when she had literally had a brush with death. "Her eyes bear an unnatural glow to them… those are just the subtle clues if one pays enough attention. The real signs had made themselves clear that night, what else could it be but a curse? The problem is what type of curse had it been and why it had been cast upon her in the first place."

"Ah Severus… you were always quick to solving riddles." Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively, he was rather glad of the fact that the Potions master had discovered the cause of Lumina's ailments. He glanced down into the Pensieve once more, watching the silvery memories of the young woman swirling and dancing within the basin. "She is indeed cursed… I could not tell you as to what type of spell it had been because that is something I am trying to discover as well." He turned his blue gaze to the other wizard and the smile he gave was sad. "As to why… well, that is something that I am not at liberty to speak of." His smile grew thoughtful as he turned away from his desk and walked over to stand across from Severus. "If you are interested Severus, might I ask for your help in discovering the origins of this curse that plagues her? I would like to see her free of that half life that she had been given and if there is anyone that I can trust with this, it is you."

Severus stared at the headmaster in surprise, the request throwing him a little off. It had only been curiosity that had him researching the symptoms that had plagued Lumina. When he had found nothing, not even in the oldest of books within the library, his curiosity had peeked. This had been after the night she had suffered, over the past two weeks and through the surprisingly friendly and often amusing encounters that he had shared with her, his curiosity had given way to mild concern and then to slight worry. He would not admit that the woman had somehow managed to strike a tiny crack within the wall he had built around himself and he certainly would not admit that she was very slowly and very surely, making that crack a teeny bit bigger day by day. No he would not even acknowledge such a thing. However, the concern and the worry were there whether he admitted it or not and Dumbledore could see it as plain as day whenever he watched the two of them together.

Dumbledore was many things in his old age and being extremely wise was one of them, he knew how to use a thing to his advantage and this was no different. "Well, Severus, what do you say?"

The Potions master took in a breath while his dark eyes darted to the Pensieve and then back to the headmaster. A heartbeat passed and very slowly, he gave the tiniest of nods. "Very well Headmaster…"


	14. Chapter 14

(A/n) Here is the next chapter. I'm so sorry for not updating in awhile my darling readers! I work a full time job and the bosses had thrown a lot of work in our general way this month. I've had a lot of overtime and I was too tired when I got home to even think of writing. -_-

Sorry for the mistakes as usual, I really don't have much time to double check everything. XD

Anyway, thank you for the reviews and alerts!

A special thank you to Soccer-Chan for leaving so many reviews! XD I'm happy you like the story so much. :)

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"Weasley straighten your hat! Miss Patil, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair! Follow me, please! First years in front… No pushing!"

Professor McGonagall was trying her best to organize her House, as were the other Heads of Houses. The entire student body had crowded into the entrance hall and were filing out of the front doors to line up outside on the front steps of the castle. The staff stood in the very back row behind the seventh years while the wait for the arrival of the delegations from Beauxbaxtons and Durmstrang drew ever closer. The evening was cool; dusk had fallen over the grounds while a pale moon hung over the thick, dark canopy of the Forbidden Forest.

Lumina was walking up the sloping grounds from the direction of Hagrid's hut by this time, nursing a rather nasty looking burn on her left forearm. Her hair was loose, having lost her hair tie over a fight with one of the Skrewts a few minutes before. It flowed over her shoulders and bounced with each step, the white part standing out like a beacon in the growing darkness. She had left her trench coat in her office the moment Hagrid had asked for her assistance in dealing with those monsters earlier in the day. She had immediately regretted it, now having nothing to cover up the burn she had received from the Skrewt who had decided it had wanted to make a break for it. Hagrid had decided then that he was better off handling the Skrewts on his own and quickly told Lumina that she should return to the castle to get the burn taken care of by Madame Pomfrey.

The scowl on her face was absolutely murderous while she muttered a few choice curses. She walked around the large group of students lined on the front steps to stand in the back row with the rest of the staff. She ignored the questioning glances she received from her coworkers but she could not ignore a particular set of dark eyes that watched her. She glanced over at Severus, who was standing behind his students to her left, and noted the dark brow that was arched. She narrowed her eyes while she dropped her left arm, the look that she gave clearly stating to ask no questions.

"Lumina, how are Hagrid's… er- charges?"

Dumbledore had moved to stand beside her, his blue eyes taking in the sight of the burn on her left arm. The dark look that he had received was answer enough and the corners of his beard twitched as he tried to fight down a smile. "I see… Well, that burn does look nasty. Would you like to see if Poppy can take care of it for you?"

"To be honest Albus, I would like to be excused and take care of it myself." Lumina sighed, wincing at the painful reaction her forearm gave in response when she poked at the blistered skin. "Those things need to die a slow and painful death… one by one…"

Dumbledore could only chuckle in response as he gave a nod and watched the scowling woman turn and disappear through the doors. It may have seemed rather rude of her to not have stayed and greet their guests but Dumbledore knew Lumina well enough to leave her be when needed. This was definitely one of those moments… Dumbledore frowned thoughtfully, his blue gaze turning up to the evening sky. He hoped that Hagrid was all right…

--

In her rooms, Lumina had taken a hot bath and then had cleaned her burn carefully before applying some salve. She knew it was only a matter of time before one of those things would manage to get a shot at her so she had obtained the burn salve from Poppy just for the occasion. It was cool on the skin and instantly relieved her of the rather irritated blisters. Once the issue of her burn was taken care of, she wrapped her forearm in some fresh bandages and then proceeded to get dressed into (at this she shivered in disgust) some appropriate witch's attire for the feast.

By the time she had left her office and was making her way down to the Great Hall, she had missed the rather dramatic entrances of the other schools and was ten minutes late for the feast. As she entered the hall, she noted that the students from Durmstrang and Beauxbaxtons stood out in their blood red and pale blue robes among the sea of black. It was funny but she never realized how many students there actually were in this school until now, it seemed more crowded then usual.

Ignoring the pangs of cold that erupted in the back of her mind, (since the ghosts of the school were all present) she walked along the far end of the Great Hall and up to the staff table, where several more people were present in honor of the occasion. A tall man with short white hair and a goatee that failed to hide the weakness of his chin was sitting beside Dumbledore, engaging him in conversation. A rather large woman dressed in black satin sat on Dumbledore's left and Lumina tried her best not to stare. The woman was nearly as large as Hagrid and that was saying something. She wondered off hand if the large woman shared the same family traits as Hagrid. Her gaze traveled further along the table where she spotted a couple of Ministry officials, a rather cheerful looking man with a surprisingly rosy complexion and another man who had the most dour expression she had ever seen on a person. It was then that she caught sight of someone that she had never expected to see.

The man further down along the table, seated conveniently beside her chair, was sipping from a golden goblet in a very lazy manner. His grey eyes were studying the students with a look that could very much be described as boredom. His blond hair, streaked with grey, fell casually over one eye, adding to the natural charm that he gave off. He was a handsome man and many young girls were casting admiring glances his way. At once, Lumina's frown deepened and the foul mood she had been in since she left Hagrid's grew worse. She walked behind the staff table, passing the man without a word, and sat down in her chair.

The man had noticed the scowling woman at once and interest sparked in those grey orbs the moment he recognized that unnaturally white streak in the dark hair. He leaned over to her and his voice almost made her cringe as a lazy smile curled on his lips. "My, my… this is a small world… Imagine the chances of finding you here my dear?"

"Yes, imagine…" Her tone was rather dry while she reached for her goblet, which had already filled itself with wine. She downed the whole goblet in just a few large gulps and was rewarded with feeling slightly sick to her stomach. She set the goblet aside, refusing to look at the man beside her though he was trying his hardest to catch her eye.

"Tell me my sweet…" He leaned even closer as his voice dropped to a whisper, his breath caressing the light wisps of dark and white hair that curled around her ear. "What exactly have you done with the artifact?"

She closed her eyes while her fingers toyed with the fork beside her plate, a smirk playing upon her lips. "It's in a very safe place… I wouldn't concern yourself over it, especially considering where we are." She opened her eyes and cast her gaze his way, the smirk fading from sight. "Now Vladimir, if you would be so kind, I would like to eat in peace."

A spark of annoyance appeared in those grey orbs and the charm gave way to something a little more dangerous. "Now that is no way to treat an old friend, especially since I will be staying here for quite some time." He saw the question in her eyes and the charming smile returned, his posture relaxing somewhat as he threw an arm over the back of her chair. "You did not think that tomb raiding was all that I did? I do live a respectable life, my daytime occupation being that of a professor at Beauxbaxtons."

_Oh damn it all… _She thought to herself as she eased away from her tomb raiding nemesis, her scowl growing worse than ever. This was just what she needed… This evening was just getting better by the second. "How wonderful…" She feigned a sweet smile as she forcefully slid her chair back, the sudden movement knocking Vladimir's arm out of the way. She got to her feet, the hem of her black robes dancing around her toes. "If you will excuse me Vladimir…" She left her seat without a second glance back at the wizard and stopped beside Dumbledore's high backed chair. The headmaster sensed the unease that rolled off of Lumina's tense form and he looked up at her, his blue eyes studying her face.

"Are you all right Lumina?"

"Albus, I'm afraid the current seating arrangements are a bit troublesome for me. May I find a different seat? Preferably away from this end of the table…"

Dumbledore's gaze flicked over to where Vladimir sat, the wizard watched Lumina with a look that was a mix between intense dislike and frank male interest. A light frown tugged at the corners of the headmaster's snowy beard and he gave a nod. This particular wizard was an escort for Madame Maxime and her students, he seemed harmless enough but looks were always deceiving and Dumbledore now had good reason to keep an eye on this particular professor. "I don't see how that would be a problem." He smiled up at her before glancing to his right side, catching sight of the Potions master further down along the table. He was currently scowling down at his plate, lightly picking at his food. He was seated between Moody and Professor Sprout and the headmaster didn't give the occupants any warning as he pulled out his wand and gave it a flick. Professor Sprout, and everyone else on her right side, soon found themselves sliding further down along the table while Lumina's chair appeared in the empty space right beside Severus.

"There, will that do?" He turned his twinkling blue eyes up at the young woman who stood behind his chair. He noticed how her green eyes fell on her new place at the table and the tension that had gripped her appeared to ease a little.

"Yes, thank you Albus. I'm sorry for the trouble." Her face relaxed into a grateful smile as she bowed her head, her hair falling down around her face.

"It's no trouble at all. Enjoy the rest of your dinner." His smile remained while he watched her walk off to take her seat beside Severus. Faint surprise flickered across his hook nosed face as Lumina smiled at him and said something to him that Dumbledore could not hear. Severus did not respond at first, the surprise at having an unexpected neighbor for dinner still quite evident. The light scowl that appeared on his face a moment later did not hide the usual spark of interest that occurred whenever he spoke with Lumina.

A moment ticked by and then the tiniest hint of a smile appeared on his thin lips. He shook his head and muttered something in reply to whatever it was that she had said. It had the desired effect. Lumina stared at the Potions master, her mouth parted slightly in surprise. She blinked twice and then looked away, a faint touch of color that rising up into her cheeks. She sat there for the span of a few heartbeats and then started to fill her plate with food, the dazed expression on her face quite humorous. Dumbledore arched a thick, white brow with interest, wondering just what exactly had been said between the two. Ah well, it was really none of his concern but he had to admit he was curious… Merlin only knew that Severus needed a good distraction right now and Lumina happened to fit the bill quite perfectly.

--

_I hope you don't mind a new neighbor sitting beside you…_

_Not at all, the change is… quite welcome…_

The words danced in and out of her mind for the rest of the evening and well into the night. The reply had been so unexpected and that tiny smile that had followed it had caught her off guard. She had barely paid attention to what Dumbledore was saying in regards to the Triwizard Tournament after the feast.

As soon as all of the students and guests had left to retire for the night, Lumina had assisted Filch in setting up the Goblet of Fire on a stool in the middle of the entrance hall. The headmaster was busy working on the spell needed to create the Age Line that would be restricting underage students from placing their name in the Goblet. The old caretaker was quick to take his leave after the Goblet had been set, not saying a single word to Lumina, for which she was grateful. She didn't know why she was feeling so dazed, perhaps it was because of the very real smile she had seen on Severus' face. Though it had been so tiny, the effect it had on him had been incredible, he had looked so much younger.

"Lumina, are you busy at the moment?"

Lumina had been watching Dumbledore as he placed the finishing touches on the Age Line but had been so absorbed by her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed that he had finished. He was standing in front of her, the usual smile of delight playing beneath his snowy beard. The slightly dazed look on her face hinted to the strong effect that the Potions master had on her and Dumbledore could only wonder just what she had been thinking of. She had glanced up at the headmaster and the dazed expression was replaced by a small smile.

"Oh, no Albus. How can I help you?" She spoke with restrained politeness, a dead giveaway that something was troubling her.

"I was hoping that I could speak with you in private." Dumbledore noticed the apprehension in her green eyes and his smile grew warm. "No need to be alarmed Lumina. We can speak in my office."

Knowing that she had no real choice in the matter, Lumina gave a nod in consent. She had just had her session with Dumbledore earlier in the week. She had to relive the moment of when the incident had happened and Lumina had been so shaken afterward that Dumbledore insisted that she see Madame Pomfrey. He didn't have the chance to speak with her with all of the excitement of the guests but it seemed that he now had the time. Lumina was not looking forward to the questions he would be asking this time…

"Albus." Professor McGonagall appeared from the Great Hall, her piecing gaze flicking between Lumina and the headmaster. "I am sorry to bother you but Bartemius Crouch was looking for you."

"Is he now?" The smile remained but the warmth in his twinkling blue eyes had dimmed some. "Well, I can not keep our guest waiting." He smiled at Lumina. "Lumina forgive me. Is it all right if you go on without me? I won't be long."

"Very well headmaster…" Lumina replied, smiling faintly in turn. "I'll see you in your office…" She bowed her head and turned on her heel to walk toward the marble staircase. Dumbledore watched as her robed form swept up the staircase and out of sight. He hoped that Lumina wouldn't hate him too much for this…

--

Severus had found it rather odd that the headmaster had asked him to meet in his office. What was of such grave importance that Dumbledore needed his assistance for? He climbed the spiral staircase, his black robes billowing out behind him. The deep scowl on his face eased a little; perhaps it was something to do with Lumina?

The door to Dumbledore's office opened of its own accord when the Potions master had reached the landing. He entered the office but all that greeted him were the slumbering portraits and the headmaster's phoenix. It eyed him curiously from its perch before tilting its head and looking down at the desk. He followed the bird's gaze and spotted the Pensieve, the contents swirling within the shallow basin glowing with silver-white light. What in the world was the Pensieve doing out of its cabinet? Had the headmaster meant for him to see it?

Severus moved closer to the desk, his curiosity getting the better of him. He glanced down at the basin, the swirling memories revealing nothing within its depths at first. It took a moment but then he noticed that he was gazing down into a large, rectangular room. He could see that there was a strange dais in the middle of this room with what looked like empty seats surrounding it. Two figures stood before this dais, a wizard and a young girl. There was something familiar about the girl…

Reaching out, he lightly touched the swirling surface of the memories and instantly felt the floor of the office lurch forward. He was falling through the dark and the ice-cold of the memory before suddenly finding himself standing in the middle of the very room he had been looking at. He glanced around the room, taking in the sight of the empty seats and the strange, ancient archway. Where on earth was this place located? He had never seen a room like this before…

"Now my little Lumi, I'm going to start the spell."

Severus turned his attention to the wizard who spoke to the young girl. He was holding an unusual mirror in one hand and his wand in the other. The manic glint in those brown eyes spoke measures as the wizard moved to stand between the young girl and the archway. The man tapped his wand against the mirror three times before releasing it to the air. It hung there, turning slowly over and over so that Severus could see that it bore two sides, one reflecting a silver light and the other reflecting nothing at all. The wizard took a step back from the mirror, a strained smile on his face. He glanced at the young girl and the smile fell away. "Stay absolutely still Lumina, no matter what happens."

The young girl glanced over at the wizard and nodded, though Severus could see that she was trembling from fear. This was Lumina? Walking around the wizard, he stood beside the younger Lumina and stared at the pale face. This was her, before she had been cursed. Those large green eyes were devoid of any ghostly glow and her hair was as dark as his. She was so young…

The wizard waved his wand and began to chant, the language in which he spoke was nothing that Severus had ever heard before. A silvery string of light emerged from the tip of the wizard's wand and began to curl around the mirror. The mirror spun once and then twice while on the dais the tattered black veil of the archway fluttered. The mirror began to spin like a coin, turning over and over while the silvery light surrounded it. It continued to spin for a few heartbeats until the wizard broke off the chant. It stopped and the silvery light broke into a thin line, one end connecting with young Lumina while the other end broke through the black veil.

The side of the mirror that faced Lumina was all silver which meant that the side that reflected nothing but shadows faced the archway. The wizard smiled while he gave his wand a flick and he began a different chant, a thin golden stream of light emitting from his wand this time. It encircled the mirror and the mirror began to spin the other way. As soon as it began to spin, a strangled gasp came from the young girl, her eyes growing wide. Coming through the tattered black veil, several ghostly forms emerged. They resembled things that had been humanoid at some point but now they were nothing more than mist. They followed the silvery line that connected to the mirror, their forms wavering the moment they began to touch the mirror, one by one. As the last of the spirits were absorbed, the mirror ceased in its spinning and the shadowed side of the mirror faced young Lumina.

The young girl was trembling terribly from the fear that gripped her and yet she did not move from where she stood. The silver light that connected her to the mirror brightened for an instant and a thick, ghostly mist emerged from the mirror. It followed the line, curling around and around the silver light. The wizard continued to recite the spell, his brown eyes growing wide as he watched the ghostly mist connect with his daughter's body.

Lumina gasped and started to choke, her eyes bulged as soon as the spirits touched her body. She threw her head back and an unearthly scream escaped her parted lips. Silver mist poured from her eyes like tears. It poured from her nose and escaped her mouth; it even streamed from her ears. The very front of her dark hair began to whiten, from root to tip, forming the skunk stripe that Severus knew. The mirror began to turn the other way and something was escaping from her body, a wavering, gold light that was being pulled toward the mirror. Severus knew exactly what it was and before he could stop himself, he moved forward to try and grab hold of young Lumina, to try and save her from losing all of herself. Of course, he was nearly twenty years too late and the memory continued on, Lumina's younger self just passing through him like the ghost she would become.

Her young screams continued to fill the empty room and bore right down to his very soul. Severus could only stand and watch as the wizard continued in his chant, the child losing her very soul in exchange for something that Severus could only begin to fathom.

It was just as the last of the golden light was leaving young Lumina's body that a heart wrenching cry emerged from behind them. Severus turned around just in time to catch sight of a woman running past him. She swooped down over the child and picked her up. At once, the connection with the mirror was broken and the wizard cried out as the mirror stopped spinning and crashed to the floor. It broke into tiny pieces, the fragments glittering with faint golden light before it faded and all that was left were charred pieces of glass.

"Lawrence, why would… how could you…?" The woman whimpered as she held the child, her long blond hair falling around the child's very pale, almost translucent form. Lumina's body was covered in ice crystals, her form easing silver mist. Her faint breaths hung in the air as white puffs, with each release Severus noticed that the tattered, black veil of the archway fluttered in sync with her breathing. Her green eyes were staring at nothing, the sight of that ghostly glow and the silver of those pupils had become a little too much.

The wizard stared at his only child, the manic glint that had been present in his eyes receding. "Oh my… Lumina…" He stared at his wand and dropped it as if it had scalded his hand. He moved toward his wife and child but the woman cried out and shied away from him. "Ceverina… I'm… I was only trying…" He trailed off, seeing the horror on his wife's face, the look of death on his daughter's. It was too much and he collapsed to his knees just as Ministry officials stormed into the room, their wands at the ready.

Severus would have continued to watch the memory but a small hand had closed around his arm and he turned to find a very adult Lumina standing behind him. His heart gave a sudden thump at the sight of the mixed anger and sadness on her face. Those haunting green eyes seemed to stare into his very soul as, with a sudden swooping feeling, they rose up through the ink black and chilling memory. Severus found his feet set firmly on the floor of Dumbledore's office and he stared at Lumina even while the tears welled in those emerald orbs.

Her chest heaved and she shook her head once. "I guess you know now… how my cursed life had begun…" She looked down, her fists clenched so tightly that the knuckles had turned white. "Please, don't tell anyone what you had seen… it's enough that I have to live with this…"

Severus said nothing; he moved toward the young woman and took hold of her arms. He studied her as the silent sobs wracked her petite form and he shook his head. He pulled her close and held her, even as he felt the warmth of her spilled tears staining the front of his robes…


	15. Chapter 15

(A/n) Ok, I've been squeezing in some time to write when I got home so here is the next chapter. Thank you Soccer-Chan! If I can actually sell a book, I'd be happy. XD I do love writing so being able to get paid to do what you love would be so cool.

On a side note, I actually got a couple of interesting questions from reader Robyn Hawkes which I will be happy to answer. First question: Why was Lumina able to enter Platform 9 ¾ if she wasn't a witch? Well, I know it seems rather weird but from what I had taken from the books, Platform 9 ¾ was invisible to the Muggle eye. J.K. Rowling never specified that Squibs could not see it or not walk through it. Squibs are quite aware of the wizarding world though they can't truly be a part of it. It seemed all right to have Lumina, as a Squib, to be able to pass the barrier with that little loop hole in mind. Next question: Why does Lumina have to do any cleaning when there are House Elves around the castle? That one is simple enough, the same reason that Filch does, it's a very large castle and there are only so many house elves. It seemed to make a lot more sense to me for Lumina to have a similar occupation as her fellow Squib. Since she can't possibly do any magic, what else could a Squib do in a large magic school? Cleaning is only a part of her vocation anyway, she helps to keep the students in line as well as assist any of the professors should they need her. There has to be a reason she is there and that seemed to be good enough. Hope that made some sense!

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the next chapter.

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The headmaster's office was quiet; the only sounds were the occasional snores that issued from the portraits on the wall. The Potions master stood beside the headmaster's desk, a deep frown set on his hook nosed face. He was gazing down at the Pensieve, his curtain of dark hair hiding his eyes from view. Lumina was sitting in the armchair in front of the desk, her hands were clasped tightly upon her lap and her form was tense. The silence that hung between them was uncomfortable and yet neither of them wanted to say anything.

The memory of how Lumina had become what she was still played fresh within Severus' mind. He had never seen anything like what had transpired within that memory... He took in a breath and glanced over at her. Her head was bowed, the white part of her hair falling forward to brush lightly across her flushed cheeks. He closed his eyes and tried to will himself to relax. Just a few moments before when Severus had held her, it had jarred him as to how _right_ it felt to have her in his arms. That warm, internal click that had fallen into place at that moment had caught him completely off guard. That was not supposed to happen. He was not supposed to be feeling that familiar warmth…

"Lumina…" Severus began carefully, feeling that it was best to ignore the sudden thudding of his heart. "What that wizard had done to you…" He trailed off when she raised her head to look at him. Her eyes were empty of any tears and the look on her face was calm, too calm.

"That was my father, Lawrence Peacecraft." She let out a deep breath as she shook her head. "The day it was discovered that I was a Squib, everything had changed. It was as if something in him had snapped. He couldn't stand the idea that his own daughter could never be a witch."

"What was he trying to do?" Severus asked, his dark eyes staring at the woman who sat as still as stone. She was opening up to him, she felt the need to talk and he sensed that. He would listen, if it helped her in any way.

"My father worked as an Unspeakable for the Ministry of Magic." She replied, the look in her eyes growing distant. "He knew things, things that no normal wizard should ever know. He had spent his time studying and researching old wizarding civilizations from around the world. There were wizards in the past that had discovered incredible ways of using magic. They created artifacts and items that would earn a lifetime sentence in Azkaban for any wizard today." She paused, a light frown twitching on her face. "All of his research had finally paid off when he discovered the whereabouts of an ancient artifact. It was an item that was able to channel the energy force from those that had passed on. For exactly what purpose, I couldn't tell you. The old writings that pertain to the item were a bit faded in places and hard to decipher…"

"The mirror…" Severus muttered, recalling the two-sided mirror from her memory.

Lumina gave a very unladylike grunt in acknowledgement to that comment and nodded. The corners of Severus' lips twitched but he did not smile, this was not the time to find her little quirks amusing. He took a step back the moment she got up from her chair and walked over to stare into the Pensieve. She chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip, taking that moment of silence to gather her thoughts. Finally, she turned those haunting green eyes his way. "My father… he loved me, he really did. He was so blind though, he didn't realize that the Mirror of Nexvita was like a two sided coin. It would have given me the ability to cast magic but in exchange I would have lost the part of myself that made me human."

"But, you cannot cast magic… Can you?" He asked, a part of him wondering. He could not recall a moment in time when she had shown any signs of being able to use magic. The only signs she had given were her strange repulsions to the ghosts that haunted this school.

"No." Lumina smiled at this, but it was a humorless one that touched her lips. "The exchange between me and the mirror was never completed. My mother had broken the connection when she had grabbed me and when the mirror had shattered, that part of my human soul shattered with it." She reached up to place a hand over her chest. Underneath her robes, she could feel the large, silver coin grow warm. "Since the exchange was never completed, the silver line that connected me so intimately with Death remained intact despite the fact that the mirror had been destroyed."

"Always connected to death?" He frowned lightly as her words lingered. He recalled that night in the hospital wing with Dumbledore and the words that the headmaster spoke rose up from the depths of his memories. _Her life lingers between the boundaries of life and death at all times. It is a delicate balance that must be kept constant… One slip, one mistake, and she could be lost forever…_ He studied the woman before him and focused on the ghostly silver of her pupils. "Then that is why you cannot be in contact with a ghost?"

She gave a nod in reply as she turned away from the Pensieve and sat on the edge of Dumbledore's desk. "Any spiritual being actually… They are a lingering trace of the lives that had not truly crossed Death's door. I am so closely linked between that boundary of life and death; a ghost can use me as a channel to reach the life they had once known."

"But it has the opposite effect on you…" He muttered, remembering how she had looked that night the Bloody Baron had touched her.

"Hmm…" Again, she nodded. She didn't have to explain since Severus had seen for himself just how bad it could get. She would lose her own hold on life if a ghost remained in contact with her for too long.

"I still do not understand…" He began as he took a step towards her, his dark eyes searching her face. "In that memory, you looked close to being a ghost yourself. How is that you are alive now?"

Lumina said nothing; the office was now completely silent. The occupants of the portraits were wide awake and listening to the conversation with rapt attention. She took in a breath and nodded to herself. She reached into her robes and pulled out the silver coin, it hung on a thick silver chain around her neck. Severus understood that the coin had some enchantment placed upon it but he did not know for what purpose.

"My mother had gone to Albus Dumbledore for help in finding a way to reverse the curse that had been placed on me. If anyone could gave helped me, Albus was sure to." A frown twitched on her face as she thought back on the moment her mother and Dumbledore had created the enchanted coin. "It took ten years of research and experimenting before they finally found a remedy. However, they could not break the connection or reverse it, they could only stabilize it." She gripped the coin tightly as she closed her eyes, willing the memory of her mother's death away. "My mother had sacrificed her life in order for the enchantment to work…"

Lumina began to explain exactly how the coin worked. The enchantment was a protection against the lingering effects of her connection with death. Without it, she would lapse back to what Severus had seen in the memory, a being that was neither truly alive nor truly dead. Her mother's love and sacrifice had been the key to making the spell work and it was thanks to that sacrifice that Lumina was able to live. Dumbledore had actually been the one to cast the spell the moment her mother died. Lumina had blamed him for her mother's death and she had remained bitter to the headmaster for years afterward. That was until recently, when Dumbledore had searched for her.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Severus asked after Lumina finished speaking. He had listened to this strange tale with slight awe and confusion. She was sharing with him a very personal and very painful part of her past, sharing the reason behind the curse that she was forced to live with. She could have found fault as to why he was in Dumbledore's office in the first place and looking through memories that were none of his concern. Instead, she had turned to him with her tears and her worries. Lumina knew nothing of him or his past and yet she trusted him enough to share a part of herself. She expected nothing from him in return and it was this simple fact that struck a cord within him.

"The enchantment is growing weaker." She whispered, her hand clasping the coin desperately. "It's growing weaker and Dumbledore is the only one who can help to rid curse on me. I thought I could do it on my own but I can't… I don't have the magic to make it work."

"You have found a way?" Severus studied her, a part of him hoping that she did. It was eerie how much he had found that he did care about this woman, to some extent at least. He was hesitant to admit that she could be one of the few people that he could call a friend.

"I did," She smiled for the first time and flicked those haunting eyes his way. "A new mirror will need to be created. Once that new mirror is made, I can use it to break the link. I'd spent the past ten years traversing all manners of ancient tombs and dungeons all over the world looking for the specific materials needed to create another Mirror of Nexvita."

"How did you know where to find them?"

"My father…" A sigh escaped this time, she looked so drained. "He had all kinds of old maps and old scrolls he had gathered over the years. He had a keen fascination with ancient wizarding civilizations. My mother had kept them before she passed them on to me. They've been a big help in finding the artifacts needed. I had actually found the very last artifact…"

Silence fell but it was a comfortable silence, as if some degree of understanding had been acknowledged between them. It had been a long night for both of them and yet they knew that they were just barely scratching the surface of the mystery that was Lumina's curse. Severus clenched and unclenched his fists, thinking of the agreement he had made with the headmaster. He glanced at the woman beside him and willed his heart to stop thudding so hard. Was it such a good idea to help this woman he hardly knew?

"I know that Albus had asked for your help in this…" She said, her gaze studying the large coin as she turned it over and over.

Severus glanced at her and shook his head. "Why would you think that?"

She stopped turning the coin and looked at him, a sad smile on her face. "He left the Pensieve out for a reason and it wasn't a mere coincidence that you were here to find it." She studied him for a moment and then gave a small nod. "I don't mind though… it's nice to have someone else to talk to about it. It helps to vent sometimes."

Silence fell between them once again and it was a comfortable silence as it had been before. A few minutes passed and then Severus let out a gentle sigh. "I offered to help… After that night, I had the feeling that you had suffered from some kind of curse." He didn't look at Lumina, though he could feel her gaze on him. He continued on, ignoring the sudden tightness in his throat. "I tried to find any possible cause for your ailments but could bring up nothing. I finally voiced my concerns to Dumbledore…" He glanced at her then and noticed the faint touch of color on her cheeks. Was she blushing? "He confirmed my suspicions so I had offered to help find a way to reverse the curse that had been cast upon you. I apologize that I did not have the chance to tell you…"

Lumina stared at the Potions master as if she had never seen the likes of him before. Severus quickly found himself growing uncomfortable beneath her gaze and he was relieved the moment she looked away, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Thank you Severus, it's comforting to know that you're here to help…" She was smiling at him now and the warmth that was in her eyes made his already thudding heart beat harder. This was not good…

The tense moment was thankfully broken by the sound of the door opening. They glanced over to find the headmaster entering his office. He smiled cheerfully at the two of them, his twinkling blue eyes revealing none of his thoughts. "I do apologize for the delay. Ah! Severus, you made it! Good, good." He stopped in front of them, his gaze flicking between them. "I hope that Lumina has been good company?"

"I've been known for starting intriguing topics of conversation Albus." Lumina smiled as she pushed herself off of his desk. "I have to admit, Severus is a wonderful listener." She glanced over at the Potions master then and her smile grew warm. Severus returned the gaze and said nothing in response, though the same thing could not be said for his heart. That warm feeling seemed to grow worse at the sight of her smile.

"Is that so? Well, I'm glad." Those blue eyes were still twinkling and one could only wonder what was ticking in the headmaster's mind at that moment. He said nothing else however as he clasped his hands behind his back and bounced on the balls of his feet. "So, it has been a very interesting night and I'm sure much has been shared." He paused at this and gazed at Severus and Lumina from over the top of his half moon spectacles. "I do not need to know the details of what had been discussed. I just want to be sure that everyone understands what is involved and what needs to be done."

No one said a word and Dumbledore took their silence as understanding. He gave a nod and the smile on his face dimmed a bit. "Lumina, we still have much to look over in your memories. Our sessions are not quite done at the moment…"

"I understand." She sighed, the tired look on her face revealing none of her true thoughts.

"Good. Well, I suggest you two should get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is going to be another busy day."

Realizing that they were dismissed, Lumina and Severus bade the headmaster goodnight and left his office. They made their way down the spiral staircase, neither saying a word to the other until they reached the corridor. Lumina stood uncertainly beside the quiet professor, unsure of what to say or do. She ignored the gentle fluttering within her stomach as she smiled at the Potions master. "Severus, thank you again… I…" She trailed off, not being able to find the right words.

Severus was silent, studying her with those dark eyes of his. It never failed for Lumina, she always felt as if those dark orbs were seeing more than they should. A light scowl played on his face and Lumina could not shake the feeling that something was troubling him.

"Think nothing of it Lumina…" He said, his soft voice sending that familiar pleasant shiver through her. "Good night…" He gave a curt bow, his dark hair falling forward to hide his face. He turned quickly on his heel and walked away without so much as a backwards glance. Lumina stood there in the empty corridor as she watched his tall and lean form disappear around the corner. What had happened? Why did he look so troubled all of a sudden? Had she said something? She frowned as she tried to think of when she had said or done something to have made him upset. He seemed all right the entire time they had spoken…

Shaking her head, she started to walk up the corridor, clutching her robes as her footsteps echoed off the walls. She supposed a number of things could be troubling him, it really wasn't any of her concern and yet, she could not help but be worried for him. She paused in mid-step as a sudden thought hit her… She couldn't possibly be feeling soft towards the Potions master, could she?

The corners of her lips turned down as a frown flickered across her face. No, she was just tired, that's all. True enough, they had been on somewhat friendly terms this past month but that wasn't enough to bring up any feelings of affection for the man. No, she was just tired from the events of the night and a good night of work would help. Feeling somewhat better, Lumina made her way down the corridor toward the marble staircase. She had to help Hagrid to bring in the pumpkins for the Halloween decorations to be done for the Great Hall. That would take some time and by the end of it she would be too tired to even think much less worry about surly looking professors.

Sweeping down the marble staircase, she fought the urge to glance at the narrow stairwell that led down to the dungeons. Too bad she couldn't fight the sudden fluttering of her heart at the memory of those intense dark eyes… Damn it, it was going to be a long night…


	16. Chapter 16

(A/n) Hey everyone, sorry about the late update for this story. Writer's block is a pain and I am having trouble trying to find my way. So here is a filler in the meantime while I try to get myself out from under this block. XD

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_Interlude_

The silver mist that surrounded him was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was nothing like the mists that fell upon the grounds of Hogwarts or the mists that would, on occasion, dance upon the surface of the lake in the twilight hours before dawn. This mist was thick, cutting off any sight of the area around him. It felt as if it were almost reaching out to him, trying to blind his very senses. Indeed, he could not even see the ground on which he stood. Where in the world was he?

He took a few, very careful steps forward, the mist swirling around the hem of his black robes. It curled around his booted feet in thick, silver tendrils as it parted with each step, it almost seemed as if the mist were trying to keep him from walking. It felt as if each of his steps were being met with some resistance from the mist, a trait that no mist should ever have…

_Save her…_

He stopped in surprise, his body growing tense as an icy, cold chill began to crawl its way up his spine. He suppressed the urge to shiver as he clenched his fists and turned his head this way and that, looking for the source of the whispery voice that had spoken a heartbeat before.

_Save my daughter…_

The voice was closer this time, speaking a little off to his left. He turned his gaze to try and find the person who spoke and he found her, standing several yards away. There was something familiar about the woman; she was dressed in silver robes that resembled the mist around them. Her hair was a quiet shade of gold that hung long and loose around a pale, round face. There was a certain beauty that lingered around her eyes, the color of them a startlingly shade of green.

She looked terribly sad as she very slowly and very carefully began to walk toward him, the mist parting of its own accord around her bare feet. He remained rooted to the spot in which he stood, his fists tightly clenched as he watched the woman. At last, she stood before him and gazed up at him with those green eyes that had begun to haunt his dreams. She studied him for a moment and then a tiny smile appeared on the corners of her full lips.

_Save her…_ She pleaded as she reached up to trace her pale fingers across the sallow skin of his cheek. He dared not to move, dared not to breathe, as her fingers brushed away the curtain of black hair. Her eyes found his and her smile grew warm but something had changed. The shapes of her eyes were different, they resembled the shape of almonds now, and her long, golden hair became shorter and thicker, the color deepening to a rich shade of dark red.

His heart slammed against his chest as the woman who gazed up at him lightly tucked his hair behind his ear and leaned up toward him, her lips parting slightly. _Please Severus…_ She whispered, her green eyes studying his as he reached up to take her hand.

"Lily…" He stared intently at her face, drinking in the sight of her even as the silver mist began to curl around his legs, slowly climbing up and up.

_Severus…_ Her breath hitched and tears began to fill her almond shaped eyes. She slowly pulled her hand away from his as her dark red hair began to whiten from root to tip at the very front of her scalp. The dark red shade began to deepen until it was the color of a raven's wing, the length of it growing down past her shoulders. Her face became a little rounder and the shape of her eyes changed once more, though the shade of green remained the same. The pupils, however, began to change to a ghostly shade of silver that resembled the mist that surrounded them. Her green eyes now bore a subtle glow and she gazed up at him with those eyes, her full lips parting.

_Will you find the strength to help me?_ Lumina took a step back from him, a small hand reaching up to settle gently upon her heart. _Will you?_

His chest heaved, once and then twice, his dark eyes taking in the sight of the three women that now stood before him. Lily stood on the left side of Lumina, her almond shaped eyes studying him, almost pleading. _Will you find the strength to protect my son?_

Ceverina, Lumina's mother, stood on her daughter's right side, her pale hands curled into the folds of her silver robe. _Will you find the strength to do what you must?_

The tendrils of silver mist, that had begun to rise slowly over his limbs, encircled his left forearm, focusing on a particular area. At once, a painful burning sensation gripped his left forearm and he hissed in surprise. He grabbed his left arm, gripping the limb as an all too familiar burning began. This burning… it couldn't mean…

A small hand reached out to rest gently over his and the burning gradually began to subside. Severus glanced down at the small hand and then into a pair of haunting green eyes that gazed up at him with trust and warmth. Some emotion lingered in those eyes, an emotion that Severus did not recognize.

_Will you find the strength?_ Lumina whispered softly and she leaned up toward him, her lips lightly brushing against his own…

_Will you remain hidden behind that wall you had built around yourself or will you allow another into your heart?_

--

His eyes snapped open, his heart beating wildly against his chest while his dark eyes searched the curtained canopy above him. His blankets were tangled around his long legs, the signs of troubled sleep and troubled dreams…

He took in a deep breath as he tried to calm his beating heart. It had only been a dream, it meant nothing and yet the vivid images continued to dance around his mind, of silver mist and green eyes, their whispering voices pleading to him. The sudden feeling of full lips brushing against his own…

A faint prickle began to grow on the skin of his left forearm, it was nothing painful and yet it was terribly familiar. He clenched his left hand, the muscle growing taunt with suppressed rage. The dream meant something, of that there was no doubt, but he could not help but feel the anger at the thought of what had happened at the last moment of that dream. Would he allow another into his heart?

"Never..." He growled, his anger rising as the image of Lumina's haunting eyes continued to play within his mind's eye. He would put a stop to it, whatever it was that he beginning to feel for that woman. He would put a stop to that now; no other will ever find a place in his heart. He would make certain of that…


	17. Chapter 17

(A/n) Don't ask why I decided to update after all this time... I guess it just caught my fancy.

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Previously: _Shaking her head, she started to walk up the corridor, clutching her robes as her footsteps echoed off the walls. She supposed a number of things could be troubling him, it really wasn't any of her concern and yet, she could not help but be worried for him. She paused in mid-step as a sudden thought hit her… She couldn't possibly be feeling soft towards the Potions master, could she? _

_._

_A faint prickle began to grow on the skin of his left forearm, it was nothing painful and yet it was terribly familiar. He clenched his left hand, the muscle growing taunt with suppressed rage. The dream meant something, of that there was no doubt, but he could not help but feel the anger at the thought of what had happened at the last moment of that dream. Would he allow another into his heart?_

_"Never..." He growled, his anger rising as the image of Lumina's haunting eyes continued to play within his mind's eye. He would put a stop to it, whatever it was that he beginning to feel for that woman. He would put a stop to that now; no other will ever find a place in his heart. He would make certain of that…_

_._

_**Chapter 17**_

The Halloween feast went off without a hitch. Lumina had helped Hagrid to bring in the giant pumpkins and decorate the Great Hall. That took up much of her day and as the feast neared, she had helped Filch to bring the Goblet of Fire to its place within the Great Hall. It held the position where Dumbledore normally sat, in front of the headmaster's chair in the middle of the staff table. The entire hall was filled with fluttering bats and giant pumpkins, the floating candles joining the eerie lighting that flickered over the occupants. The buzzing of chatter from the students and the guests, the impatience that many of them felt hovered in the air like a thick mist.

Lumina sat in her chair, her new spot being on the right hand side of that of the Potions Master. Since the night previous, she had noticed that Severus had maintained his indifferent air, not once looking at her nor acknowledging her presence. To say that she was hurt by his attitude was not what she would say openly. She had told her story, had explained the cause behind her cursed existence and now he treated her as if she didn't exist. After weeks of a somewhat friendly banter between the two of them, all of a sudden it was as if they had first met, as if their interactions prior to this had never happened...

She picked at her food, leaning slightly away in her chair as the tension in the Great Hall grew with each passing moment. All of the rest of the staff and students were concerned of the Champions that would be picked this night for the Triwizard Tournament. Lumina found that she didn't particularly care at this moment. The silent man beside her was the focus of all of her sudden anger, the question as to why he could possibly be so cold toward her picking and prodding at her. What had she done? What had she said? She had been worried about him last night but now she was finding her worry falling down deeper into anger. Of course, what wizard or witch in their right mind would look at Lumina after knowing her tale? All she had received were looks of sympathy, of disgust... Why had she expected any different from Severus Snape?

Lumina continued to be haunted by these thoughts even long after dinner was completed and the golden plates and goblets were clean. There was an increase in the level of noise in the room but it all was an annoying buzz in the Squib's hearing. It died away instantly the moment the headmaster got to his feet. On either side of him, Professor Karkaroff, the goateed man with the weak chin, and Madame Maxime, the large woman who looked to share the same parentage as Hagrid, looked as tense and as eager as everyone else in the room. The round and rosy cheeked face of Ludo Bagman was beaming with excitement, winking at various students. The rather dour face of Mr. Crouch looked uninterested in the coming proceedings, one might say he looked even close to boredom.

"Well, the Goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' name are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber." He pointed toward the door behind the staff table. "There, they will be receiving their first instructions."

He took out his wand and gave a sweeping wave with it. All at once, the candles in the hall, save for those in the carved pumpkins, were extinguished. They were plunged into a state of semidarkness. The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, the sparking bright blue-white flames almost painful to the eyes. Nearly everyone watched, waiting... A few people checked their watches, counting the seconds...

Lumina kept her eyes shut against the blue white light, the haunting glow of the flames casting the face of Snape in harsh light and shadow. She didn't notice that the Potions Master had cast his dark eyes toward her, did not notice that his indifferent mask had fallen to one of slight concern...

The blue-white light had turned to a deep shade of red, sparks flying from the edges of the ancient wood of the goblet. A charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it and the entire Hall gasped and held with bated breath.

Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white. "The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong and clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum!"

A storm of applause and cheering swept the Hall, though all that came from Lumina was a slight frown as she opened her eyes and focused her gaze on the goblet. The slouching figure of Viktor Krum rose from his seat at the Slytherin table and walked toward the staff table. He turned and walked along the table to disappear through the door into the chamber beyond.

"Bravo Viktor!" Karkoroff boomed loudly, so much in fact that everyone could hear him above the applause. "Knew you had it in you!"

The clapping and chatting died down. Now everyone's attention was focused once again on the goblet, which had turned red once more. A second piece of parchment fluttered out of it, propelled by the flames. "The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is Fleur Delacour!"

A girl with a sheet of long, silvery blonde hair had risen from the Ravenclaw table and swept up toward the staff table, her blue robes swirling about her feet. Once she disappeared into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement one could reach out and grab it. The Hogwart's champion was next...

Lumina had cast her gaze to hand of the man beside her, her haunting emerald gaze being drawn to the pale, elegant fingers that were now bathed by ruby red firelight. A third piece of parchment had fluttered from the flame and Dumbledore had reached out, grasping it in a firm hand. "The Hogwart's Champion is... Cedric Diggory!"

The cheering and screaming that emerged from the Hufflepuff table was beyond anything that had been heard before. Indeed, the cheering and screaming went on for so long, even after the handsome young seeker had disappeared into the side chamber, that it was some time before Dumbledore was heard again.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as the last of the cheering faded away. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real-"

The fire in the goblet flared, the red flames rising as sparks flew into the air. A long flame shot out suddenly and borne upon it was another piece of parchment. Automatically, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. Then, Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out the name...

"_Harry Potter._"

.

The buzzing that had filled the Hall was not as annoying as the clipped and hissing voices that now filled the side chamber. It was a room that was lined with paintings of various witches and wizards, a handsome fire roared in the fireplace across from the door that lead to the Hall. Lumina had no idea why she was standing among the headmasters of the three wizarding schools, the two members of the Ministry, not to mention the rather stern forms of Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape.

Her place was several feet away from that of Filch, close to the door. Her hands were clasped behind her back, the black scales of her coat reflecting with various shades of gray and silver. There were several moments of hissing and frustrated voices as the matter of the fourth Hogwart's champion was discussed. Of course, the headmasters of the other two champions were livid at the occurrence of two champions for Hogwarts. Words were exchanged, Harry Potter denied any involvement of placing his name within the goblet. He did not do it and he did not have an older student place it for him. The arguing continued until the matter of the Age Line was brought into question...

"Dumbly-dorr must 'ave made a mistake wiz ze line," said Madame Maxime, a light frown playing upon her handsome face.

"It is possible, of course," said Dumbledore politely, though everyone in the room knew that it was unimaginable to believe that the headmaster could make a mistake with something as simple as an Age Line.

"Dumbledore, you know perfectly well you did not make a mistake!" Professor McGonagall snapped angrily, casting her piercing gaze to everyone in the room. "Really! What nonsense! Harry could not have crossed the line himself, and as Professor Dumbledore believes that he did not persuade an older student to do it for him, I'm sure that should be good enough for everybody else!" Her eyes settled on Snape then, who had been voicing his earlier thoughts on his obvious mistrust for the boy. Snape merely gazed at her in turn, a humorless curl of his lips revealing none of his thoughts.

"Maybe a member of ze staff had placed ze boy's name in ze goblet?" Madame Maxime's eyes flicked among the professors before settling on the very quiet form of Lumina beside the door. "There waz time for thoze 'andling ze goblet to slip it in..."

Several pairs of eyes flicked over to Lumina and then to Filch, a few of them contemplating what the headmistress had said. Lumina blinked in response before a humorless laugh escaped her full lips. "You do not honestly believe that a couple of Squibs could actually trick an ancient, magical artifact, do you? We couldn't make a feather float much less find a way to make that goblet forget that there are only supposed to be _three _champions."

"Oh..." Madame Maxime seemed surprised at this, having not expected to hear that particular comment about their less than magical talents.

"You say you are a Squib?" Karkaroff had moved across the room to stop several feet from Lumina, his gaze traveling over her Muggle attire before settling on her eyes. "Yet you seem to have an air of one who is quite familiar with ancient artifacts." The satisfied sneer that played on his weak lips at the sight of brief alarm in those emerald orbs. He studied her silver pupils, noting the ghostly glow. "Had a bit of brush with cursed items in the past? Perhaps you knew of a way to work past ancient magic over your many adventures. One can learn a great deal traipsing through ancient tombs, Ms. Peacecraft."

"Peacecraft?" Mr. Crouch's voice broke through the uncomfortable silence that followed. "Why does that sound familiar...?"

Lumina felt her throat grow tight with emotion as she glared at the wizard across from her, her temper rising slightly. What did this man know of her? He seemed to be hinting a familiarity with her past... A tall and lean form had suddenly appeared in front of her and she glanced up to catch the familiar profile of Snape. He was glaring at Karkaroff, his hands curling into the folds of his black robes.

"Ms. Peacecraft has neither the knowledge nor the ability to trick an artifact like the Goblet of Fire. She has been within the sight of her fellow staff members which include that of myself, Filch, and the headmaster." His soft voice sent that familiar and pleasant shiver up along her spine as well as a touch of confusion. Why was he suddenly defending her? He didn't look at her as he stepped up to Karkaroff and narrowed his eyes, the dislike evident upon his face. "You should think carefully before opening that mouth of yours Karkaroff..."

Lumina had the decency to not gape at the Potions Master, who had gone back to spot beside that of McGonagall. He had been so quick to think so less of the Potter boy regarding the goblet and yet the moment the blame had transferred to her, he was the first to spring to her defense. It made no sense after he had all but ignored her throughout the feast. What was going through that head of his? She looked over to catch the eye of Dumbledore, who had a very small and satisfied smile on his bearded face. A light frown tugged on the corners of her lips as she folded her arms beneath her breasts, leaning back against the wall. She didn't look as the door beside her opened, a familiar clunking sound catching her ear.

"It is convenient eh?" Moody's gruff voice had broken the tense silence, the door closing behind him and shutting out the buzz from the Hall.

"Convenient?" said Karkaroff. "I'm afraid you will have to enlighten the rest of us Moody. What could possibly be convenient about this circumstance?" Lumina could tell he was trying to put off an air of indifference but his hands were balled tightly into fists. A dead giveaway of his tension.

"Don't you?" Moody inquired. "It's very simple, Karkaroff. Someone put Potter's name in that goblet knowing he'd have to compete if it came out."

"Evidently, someone 'oo wished to give 'Ogwarts two bites at ze apple!" Madame Maxime huffed, her heavy bosom rising and falling beneath her black satin dress.

"I quite agree, Madame Maxime," said Karkaroff with a slight bow in her direction. "I shall be lodging complaints with the Ministry of Magic _and_ the International Confederation of Wizards-"

"If anyone has reason to complain, it should be Harry." Lumina's voice rose above the room, the ghostly silver of her pupils looking eerie in the light of the fire. "Funny thing is, not one of us has heard a peep come out of him."

"Why should 'e complain?" Fleur Delacour burst with anger, stamping her foot in what could be a very childish tantrum. A dark brow arched at the sight of the young witch, who was glaring at Lumina as if she were the cause of all of this. "'E 'as ze chance to compete, 'asn't 'e? We 'ave all been 'oping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! Ze honor for our school! A thousand Galleons in prize money- zis is a chance many would die for!"

"Maybe someone's hoping Potter _is_ going to die for it," said Moody, his voice nothing more than a soft growl.

An extremely tense silence followed this. Ludo Bagman, who was looking very anxious indeed, bounced nervously on the balls of his feet. "Moody, old man... what a thing to say!"

"We all know Professor Moody considers the morning wasted if he hasn't discovered six plots to murder him before lunchtime," said Karkaroff loudly. "Apparently, he is now teaching his students to fear assassination too. An odd quality in a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dumbledore, but no doubt you had your reasons."

"Imagining things, am I?" Moody growled, his magical eye zipping around in its socket as it took in the occupants of the room. "Seeing things, eh? It was a skilled witch or wizard who put that boy's name in that goblet..."

"Ah, what evidence is zere of zat?" Madame Maxime asked, throwing up her huge hands for good measure.

"Because they hoodwinked a very powerful magical object!" Moody turned his attention to the large woman, both eyes focusing on her. "It would have needed an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm to bamboozle that goblet into forgetting that only three schools compete in the tournament... I'm guessing they submitted Potter's name under a fourth school to make sure he was the only one in his category..."

"You seem to have given this a great deal of thought Moody," said Karkaroff in the same cold voice he had addressed Lumina in moments prior. "A very ingenious theory it is- though of course, I heard you recently got it into your head that one of your birthday presents contained a cunningly disguised basilisk egg and smashed it to pieces before realizing it was a carriage clock-"

The snort of laughter that followed after this particular comment caused every eye in the room to focus on the woman beside the door, the strip of white hair hiding her eyes from view. "So sorry..." She muttered before covering a hand over her mouth to stifle the laughter. It was a very serious situation but the sound of her muffled laughter had broken the tension that had been building in the room. Harry was trying his best not to laugh along with Lumina and Cedric Diggory was focusing intently on the fireplace, though the twitching of his lips was a sure sign that he was fighting the laughter as well. The corners of Dumbledore's snowy white beard lifted, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement as he watched Lumina's hunched form trembling with laughter. He was grateful the young woman had interrupted when she had, the tension had been rising to the point of being unbearable.

"Well then," said Dumbledore, clearing his throat and turning his gaze back to everyone. "How this situation arose we do not know. It seems to me, however, that we have no choice but to accept it. Both Cedric and Harry have been chosen to compete in the Tournament. This, therefore, they will do..."

"Ah, but Dumbly-dorr-"

"My dear Madame Maxime, if you have an alternative, I would be delighted to hear it."

Everyone waited but Madame Maxime did not speak, she merely glared. She was not the only one, Karkaroff looked absolutely livid. The others wore various looks of concern, slight anger, and indifference. Snape had focused his dark eyes to the door where Lumina stood, an amused smile still played on her lips. The talk moved on toward toward the rules that applied to the first task, though the details of the task were left out due to the fact that facing the unknown was a test of courage.

After several more moments of conversation, everyone save for Dumbledore and his staff, had filed out of the room to head to bed. Lumina had caught Harry's eye as he walked past her and she flashed him a reassuring smile, which he returned in a weak manner. She frowned with concern as the door closed behind him, wondering what exactly the young boy had been thrust into. It wasn't a good thing that was for sure...

"Lumina, would you care for a nightcap?" Dumbledore caught her gaze as she looked at him, he had been serving a beverage to McGonagall and Moody, several more cups were floating in the air. Filch had already disappeared in his usual slinky manner and, after noticing that Snape was not going to address her in anytime soon, she decided it was best to leave now.

"No thank you Albus," she said with a weak smile before giving a nod in goodnight. She turned on her booted heel and left the chamber, the Great Hall was empty now and the floating candles were burning low. The pumpkins looked eerie as the light flickered over there jagged smiles. She hurried toward the doors and out to the entrance hall. She was about to head down the corridor that lead to her office before a thought occurred to her. Frowning slightly, she changed course and headed down the narrow stairwell toward the dungeons.

.

Snape moved quickly down the narrow stairwell and through the corridor toward his office. After the strangeness this evening had presented, he had found himself to be tired both mentally and physically. He was looking forward to a quiet evening with a good book beside the fireplace... A familiar silvery form caught his eye further ahead and he paused in his steps. The Bloody Baron was floating several feet away from the very live form of Lumina. Her hands were crossed under her full breasts, a hint of cleavage seen beneath the V neckline of her dark red blouse. The tanned skin from summer had paled to its natural lighter hue, the flush that appeared on her cheeks a dead giveaway that she was looking particularly angry.

"I don't understand why you feel the need to follow me around. I thought Albus had made it clear that all of the ghosts were to steer clear from me. I don't want a repeat of what happened last time."

The Bloody Baron gave a nod in acknowledgment, though he remained floating in the same spot. "I understand Lady Lumina and I simply wish to apologize. I had no idea that your... delicate situation would cause such a reaction. I am merely curious as to how it can happen that we can touch you and no other living person."

Lumina blinked in reply and she looked away, suddenly looking very uncomfortable. "That is something that I do not wish to discuss nor it is any of your concern. I suggest that you let sleeping dragons lie..."

Deciding that now was a good time to intervene, Snape made his presence known with a very loud cough. Both the ghost and the woman glanced over to catch sight of the Potions Master. The Bloody Baron's posture immediately stiffened and he glanced at Lumina once more before floating off without a word. She watched the ghost as he disappeared through a wall before allowing herself to relax. She looked at Snape and a small smile touched her full lips. "You have a knack for appearing when I need you the most, don't you?"

The warm feeling that stirred at those words was not lost on Snape. He scowled in reply as he brushed past her and continued to his office. He could hear the thumping of her boots as she followed after him but he did not slow down. Once in his office, he made to close the door but her boot caught the edge of the wood and his scowl deepened further. Damn the woman! Why could she not leave him in peace? It was enough that her eyes had been haunting his dreams, he didn't need to see them anymore than he had to during his waking hours.

"You've been ignoring me since last night." She pushed the door open against his firm hand and he released it, gritting his teeth as he whirled around to walk to his desk. She entered his office and closed the door softly behind her, the tiny click breaking the silence. He could feel her eyes on him, could picture the haunting silver of those pupils glowing in the semidarkness of the room. He focused on gathering the bits of parchment on his desk, not acknowledging her words. She had walked closer to him and his heart began an erratic beat against his chest. Why did her presence affect him this way? He hated it, he hated her...

"I am acting no differently than I have since we met Ms. Peacecraft. I suggest you take whatever silly little ideas that formed in that dense head of yours about me and concentrate on something more to the level of your intelligence." Insults, he could do insults... That was safe. The further he pushed her away, the easier it would be to repair the crack she had made in his defenses.

"Severus, cut it out with the bullshit!" Lumina slammed her hand down on the desk and he made the mistake of glancing down at her. Damn her eyes... Why could they not be brown? Brown was safe. At the moment, those orbs that he wished were brown were glaring daggers his way. "Ever since last night, you've been acting like a total ass. I know my background is a problem for most people but I thought you wouldn't be one of them. We were on friendly terms before this, why the sudden change? Is the thought of talking with an undead and cursed woman that revolting to you?"

"This has nothing to do with your curse!" He hissed as he straightened his shoulders, his dark hair falling about his pale face. "As I stated before, do not assume anything about me. You know nothing of me."

"You're right, I don't know anything of you." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, suddenly looking very tired. "From what I _do_ know from our two months of working together is that you hide behind that asshole persona you give off. There is more to you than what you want people to know or will allow them to see." She glanced up at him then and gently reached out to brush the dark hair from his face. He didn't flinch away from the feel of her warm fingers and he tried his best to ignore the tingle that followed. "You know about my past and I trust you to keep it to yourself. It is something that some dark wizards or witches would use to their advantage. Having as much knowledge of old magical artifacts as I do could get me into more trouble than I already am in." She dropped her hand and gave him a warm smile. "I hope that in time you'll come to trust me as I trust you. Sometimes, it's better to speak about the things that haunt you the most. Trying to find the courage to deal with it on your own makes it harder to get through the darkness alive."

He didn't respond to her words, he stared at her with a blank, emotionless look on his face. "If you are quite done Ms. Peacecraft, I have work to finish."

A heavy sigh was all he received in response and she turned away without a glance in his direction. He ignored the warmth that had grown in his beating heart from her touch. He watched her retreating back, a part of him hoping that she would turn around to look at him... He got his wish.

"Thanks for coming to my defense earlier by the way," she said, glancing at him with that warm smile from before. "Not many would speak up for a Squib." Her green eyes maintained their ghostly glow and she studied him a moment longer before leaving his office. The moment the door closed behind her, Severus allowed his fists to relax and willed his beating heart to calm. This was not good... He swore he wouldn't allow anyone past his walls. The only one who lay claim to that part was resting peacefully beyond Death's door. The fact that he had allowed her to touch him, such an intimate gesture... He knew it was going to be much harder to fight whatever pull the woman had on him.

Growling in frustration, he wordlessly waved his wand to clear his desk of all paperwork before turning and retiring to his bedroom for the night.


	18. Chapter 18

(A/n) Thanks to my two reviewers! Ryle Culler and watergoddesskasey, you are both so sweet for leaving reviews despite the major gap between updates. -=hugs tight and gives you love=-

Also a very special thank you to SerbiaTakesCntrl for leaving such a wonderful review! It inspired me to sit down and finish this chapter. :)

* * *

_**Chapter 18**_

The days passed and life in Hogwarts continued despite the change that the Halloween feast brought. Lumina was quick to see that the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Houses were acting distinctly cool towards Gryffindor. The Slytherins were as they had always been, particularly mean spirited toward the House of Godric. There were many times that Lumina had to step in between a fight between the two Houses but it had escalated to the point of all the other Houses were now going against Gryffindor. Not that she blamed them but still, she truly believed that Harry Potter had not entered his own name into the Goblet. Dumbledore was absolutely sure on the matter when she had addressed him and so she trusted his judgment on this one particular case. Harry seemed to be sweet boy, she had no idea who would want to cause him any grief besides a few choice students in Slytherin and of course, obvious supporters of You-Know-Who.

Despite these hiccups in school life, Lumina's time was peaceful. It was of course, that this peacefulness brought with it a sense of itchy feet and unease. It was a calm before the storm and Lumina wondered when, whatever it was that was setting her on edge, was going to happen. Vladimir had been watching her intently lately, he looked as if he were trying to find a moment to catch her when she was alone and low on her guard. When he was not busy with his own duties as an escort for Madame Maxime's students, he would be found not too far from her. He always seemed to find some excuse to cross paths with her. He was planning something and thankfully he never had the chance to execute whatever that plan was. The headmaster seemed quite keen with having Lumina as busy as possible. All of the teachers, Hagrid, and Filch were requesting her help for various tasks on hand and it was because of this that she was in the presence of a staff member when Vladmir would try to approach her. She thanked Albus for being so aware of her dislike for the wizard but she knew it could only be kept up for so long...

It happened on a day like the others before, she was bringing the customary replacement cauldron down to the dungeons in time for Double Potions. However, this day brought with it a change that would tip the delicate balance she walked between life and death. Had she any idea that any of this would happen she would have found another way to address it. Alas, she had no gift of divination, no gift of magic, only a poor adverse reaction to any spirit creature that looked to her as a channel to life.

The narrow staircase that led down to the dungeons was quiet enough but the moment she turned on the last step, she could hear the shouting, could feel the anger in the air. Had she but known what these events would lead to...

"Go on then Potter! Moody's not here to look after you now... Do it, if you've got the guts!"

"_Furnunculus!"_

"_Densaugeo!"_

Just as she emerged from the stairwell, she caught sight of jets of light shooting toward one another, hit in midair and ricocheted off at angles. One spell hit a Slytherin boy that stood beside Draco Malfoy. The other spell looked as if it had hit Harry's friend, Hermione Granger, full in the face. The boy that was hit let out a bellow like a wounded cow and covered his nose with his large hands, not being able to conceal the ugly, large boils that sprang up on his face. Hermione let out a whimper in panic, her small hands reaching up toward her mouth.

"Hermione!" Ron Weasley, who had been beside Harry Potter, hurried forward to see what was wrong with his friend, just as Potter turned, his face falling from anger to immediate concern. Whatever the sight was, it wasn't pretty. Both boys were nearly choking with rage at the sight but Lumina had no idea how bad the damage to Granger had been since her back was to the staff assistant. Whatever had happened, Hermione let out a panic-stricken cry and began to tremble.

"And what is all this noise about?" Severus Snape had just emerged from his office, his black robes blending seamlessly with the surrounding shadows the torches cast. He walked slowly toward his class, his dark eyes flicking between the form of Potter and Malfoy as all of his House students began to talk at once, trying to give in their side of the story. Snape silenced them with a look and pointed a finger toward Malfoy. "Explain."

"Potter attacked me sir-"

"We attacked each other at the same time!" Potter yelled.

"-and he hit Goyle, look-" Malfoy continued, ignoring the Gryffindor student, and gestured toward his classmate, the boy whose face now resembled something that would have been at home among Professor Sprout's fungi.

Snape examined the student before gesturing toward the end of the corridor. "Hospital wing, Goyle." The Slytherin student stumbled past the group of Gryffindors and toward the narrow stairwell. He paused in surprise at the sight of Lumina but continued past her without a word, not that he could speak with those boils on his lips.

"Malfoy got Hermione," said Ron, grabbing Lumina's attention back to the scene at hand. His ears almost matching the color of his hair. "_Look!"_

Weasley forced the girl to show her face, she had been trying her best to hide whatever the curse had done to her but it was obvious the damage was worse than what Lumina could imagine. A few of the Slytherin girls were pointing from behind Snape's back, stifling their giggles. Lumina felt a hint of her anger rising within her at the sight of it but compared to what she heard next, giggling girls were nothing.

"I see no difference," said Snape, his dark eyes were regarding the Gryffindor student with a coldness that Lumina herself had been subject to when they had first met and again only just recently. Her anger flared as she heard Hermione's cry of distress before the girl turned and ran up the corridor. The young witch was so distraught, she did not notice the staff assistant standing by the narrow staircase. Lumina was quick to move the cauldron to her left arm and reached out her right arm to catch Hermione by the shoulders. When the witch stared up at her in surprise, the sight of her front teeth growing past the collar of her robes was not something Lumina was expecting. The anger turned to rage as she released the young witch, muttering for her to hurry to Madame Pomfrey. She stared at Lumina for a moment before disappearing up the stairwell, the sound of her sobs still hitting Lumina straight to her heart.

The sound of the shouting that erupted in the hall from the two friends of the girl only added fuel to the fire. It was impossible to hear what the two boys were saying to the Potions Master but it was enough of a distraction for Lumina. She pulled her gun from the right holster, clicked back the safety and raised it toward the ceiling. A loud bang echoed throughout the corridor, effectively cutting off all of the yelling that was taking place and making all of the students start in surprise. All eyes turned toward her, the sight of her smoking gun was enough to bring the silence that she was hoping for. Thank goodness for muggle technology...

She walked toward the class, her emerald eyes staring straight into the dark orbs of Potions Master. She lowered her gun to her side, though she did not holster it. She looked at the students who had started the whole mess, the rage on her face making young Potter flinch and look away. "Twenty points from Gryffindor and Slytherin for harming fellow classmates." Her emerald eyes settled on Potter and then Malfoy, her rage growing further at the sight of the arrogance on the Slytherin's face. "Detention to both of you for using magic in the corridor-"

"What!" Malfoy glared at Lumina, the look in his pale eyes an obvious one. The fact that a squib would think to hand him a detention-.

"Make that twenty five points from Slytherin!" Lumina hissed, effectively quieting any protests she would receive from the boy at this point in time. "Would you care to continue Mr. Malfoy? I have all afternoon..."

"Ms. Peacecraft-"

"_Don't!"_ Lumina cast her gaze toward Snape, her chest heaving with emotion. She took the cauldron she had been carrying and thrust it hard against Snape's chest. He stumbled back, not expecting the sudden force the woman possessed. His arms quickly wrapped around the cauldron to keep it from falling on his toes. "Just don't Severus." She had holstered her gun at this point but she reached out and pointed a finger his way, her anger growing worse. "Whatever thoughts that possessed you to act that way, I don't want to hear it." Her breath shuddered as her emotions got the better of her. The sight of her silver pupils and the sudden feeling of coldness descending upon the group, caught the Potions Master by surprise. She reigned in her emotions, tried to fight down the coldness that was beginning to emerge from her skin. She could not allow these negative emotions to bring her closer to the Veil...

"It doesn't matter." She turned her attention back to Malfoy and Potter, the flush of her cheeks enhancing the subtle ghostly glow of her eyes. "I'll send word of your detentions later this evening." She cast her glare to the Potions Master once more before she turned on her booted heel and left the dungeons. She did not see the rather sickly hue that had taken Snape's pale skin nor of the torn look that played in his dark eyes. What had transpired in this corridor had effectively destroyed whatever friendship he had with the woman. In a twisted sense of thought, he got what he wanted. He had driven her away... Why was it then that the crack in the wall had grown just a bit wider at the thought of it?

He stared at the narrow stairwell for a moment before he remembered that his class was still standing around him. He looked at the lot of them before his upper lip curled in disgust. "_Why_ are you standing here gaping?" His voice was a snarl, his anger lashing out at the students closest to him as he ordered them into the classroom. It was going to be a long period...

…

The rest of the day past in a flurry of crowded broom closets, leaky sinks, and a very angry squib. Filch, who normally was seen as moody, couldn't even hold a candle to the woman who now stalked the corridors. Word quickly spread that is was best to avoid the path of Lumina if you didn't want to lose points or your head. Most of the younger students were particularly good that day.

That evening, Lumina had her weekly meeting with Dumbledore. At this point, the memories that were visited were of her many adventures through very dangerous tombs and dungeons over the years. She had acquired a number of artifacts, all of them pertaining to the rebuilding of the double sided mirror connected to life and death. Severus had not taken part of this particular meeting. Dumbledore appeared to be very aware of the tension that rolled off of Lumina in waves at the mere mention of the Potions Master. It was best to avoid the subject of him at the moment...

At the end of the day, after sending Malfoy and Potter their detention slips for the next evening, Lumina retired to her office. She was in urgent need of a shot of vodka or at least a strong goblet of wine. As she settled herself at the desk, she pondered over the request for moon moss that Professor Sprout had sent over to her just that afternoon. There was a patch of the special moss that was supposed to be growing in a certain clearing in the Forbidden Forest where a mooncalf was known to dance on the nights of the full moon. Its silvery dung, which was a great fertilizer, had not been collected in hopes that a particular species of moss would grow. It was being used for a very important project to the professor. She didn't state exactly what for but it was clear enough that Lumina was the only available staff member who would be able to see it with no trouble. It wasn't too far from the school and it would be good to have extra hands in the gathering. If anything were to happen, Hagrid wouldn't be too far if it was more than Lumina could handle.

With all of her frustration throughout the day, it was enough of a distraction to forget the feeling of anxiousness that had been haunting her for quite some time. She would be reminded of it in a way she wished she could have avoided...

…

It was at exactly 10:15 the next night when Harry Potter made his way down the marble staircase to the entrance hall for his detention with Ms. Peacecraft. He caught sight of Malfoy emerging from the stairwell that led to the dungeons but thankfully the Slytherin said nothing to him, merely gave him a look of disgust. Harry ignored him and focused on the sight of Ms. Peacecraft standing in front of the large doors to the castle. She carried in her arms two translucent jars that bore thick corks. As the two boys approached her, she thrust the each of the jars into their arms without a word and opened the front doors. She gestured for them to hurry through and closed the doors before striding past them across the dark and misty grounds toward Hagrid's hut. Lumina did not carry a lantern with her.

Harry had an odd sense of reliving his detention from his first year. Hagrid was standing just outside his hut with a lantern in his hand, with Fang beside him, much as he had that particular night. He had a deep frown on his face as he locked gazes with Ms. Peacecraft before handing her the lantern. "I don' feel righ' about this 'Mina... Bad feelin' about this night..."

Ms. Peacecraft gave a nod in response, "There's nothing in there that I haven't seen before Hagrid. We're sticking to the path till we reach that clearing." She gave Hagrid a reassuring smile before turning her attention to Harry and Malfoy, her smile was instantly gone. Harry felt his heart sink. Ms. Peacecraft was one of the few members of the staff who treated him like an equal. Earning her disapproval was almost as bad as earning Dumbledore's. "No magic tonight. We're doing things the muggle way."

"What!" That seemed to be Malfoy's signature reaction to everything that came out of Ms. Peacecraft's mouth but the look she gave him silenced him right up. It was hard to stare her right in the eyes, not when those silver pupils gave the impression you were staring straight into death's gaze.

"We're going into the forest," she continued, "where we're going to gather a special kind of moss that only grows after a full moon."

"But why should we-"

"You will shut up Malfoy or you will be getting detention in the forest for the next fortnight!" Ms. Peacecraft was frowning at the Slytherin, the grip on her lantern growing tight with suppressed rage. Hagrid was watching the staff's assistant with something bordering respect and slight fear. Not that he blamed the groundskeeper, there was something going on with Ms. Peacecraft tonight, something that didn't feel right. She was seeming on edge for an unknown reason...

"You will keep your wands close but you will only use them to signal for danger. Hagrid will be nearby to assist." She glanced at the giant man, who gave a grim nod in return before looking at the students again. "You will follow me. For the love of Morgana's skirts, do as I say and stay close."

With that, she turned on her booted heel and started toward the path that disappeared into the forest. Harry followed quickly behind her, the sound of Malfoy's steps taking up the rear. Hagrid's large, thumping steps could be heard following not too far behind. Fang's occasional whine broke the silence that permeated with the mist that gathered around their feet. No one said a word, they simply followed the woman as she led the way. They traveled into the forest until they reached a familiar fork in the path. Ms. Peacecraft took the left path and the others followed suit.

They traveled along the path for nearly half an hour, deeper to the heart of the forest. The further along they went, the thicker the trees became until it was almost impossible to continue. It was all becoming so familiar to Harry that he couldn't help the sliver of fear that ran up his spine. Through the tangled branches of an ancient oak, they came upon the very same clearing that Harry had first encountered Voldemort in his first year. Malfoy appeared to have the same recollection of this particular clearing because he immediately stopped in his tracks.

"I'm _not_ going out there," stated Malfoy, promptly setting his large jar on the ground beside him.

"You do as your told," Ms. Peacecraft said in reply as she removed the gun from her left holster and clicked the safety back. Harry could only gape in surprise at the staff's assistant. Surely she wouldn't honestly shoot a student? Though Harry didn't care for Malfoy, he was well aware of how dangerous a gun could be and Ms. Peacecraft looked to be an excellent shot.

Malfoy seemed to remember the deafening sound the muggle 'wand' had made the day before and was imagining the damage it could do. Muttering under his breath, he snatched the jar and stomped past Harry into the clearing. Harry glanced at Ms. Peacecraft in question, who had now set her lantern on the ground and took something from Hagrid, who was standing behind her. She was looking past him, out to the clearing. She looked as if she was seeing something he could not. He finally caught her gaze, the emerald eyes resembling so much of his own save for the subtle glow.

"Um... Ms. Peacecraft... What does the moss look like?"

"Like moss, except it's silver. Tends to let out a gentle glow that resembles moonlight..." Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the clearing before pointing her gun out. "There, see where glow is? Looks like moonlight? That's moon moss."

Harry looked to where she pointed, ignoring the gun, and spotted the silvery moss. They were growing in clumps in a strange circular pattern about the clearing. One wouldn't really notice the moss unless they kept their gaze unfocused. Harry looked at her, about to ask how they were supposed to gather the moss, when he saw her holding out two hand shovels.

"Gather as much of the moss with root as possible. They'll last longer with their roots intact. Place them in the jar with the dirt you shovel with it. I'll trust you to tell Malfoy how to go about doing it properly..."

Harry took the shovels and gave a nod before hefting his jar in one arm and heading into the clearing to meet with Malfoy, who was looking around the clearing with a frustrated expression on his face. While Harry was busy getting to work, Ms. Peacecraft was letting loose a long breath, trying to ease the feeling of coldness that she could feel emanating from a nearby source.

"'Mina, you all righ'?"

Lumina turned to find that Hagrid had taken a few steps back from her, his beetle black eyes watching her with concern. She gave a nod as she turned to look at the clearing again, ignoring the feeling as it began to grow with each passing minute. She had been sensing it the moment she stepped foot on the path, this cold feeling of emptiness and despair. She didn't say a word of it, not until she was sure exactly what it was that was causing this. It was an undead creature, that much she was positive of, but she couldn't identify what it was until it made itself known...

"Hagrid," said Lumina, watching the two boys carefully as they gathered the moss. "Did something happen here? Something terrible?" The feeling was getting worse the closer the boys got to a particular part of the clearing. Something had been buried here... something that had lost its life in the most terrible way...

Hagrid was silent a moment, his unease growing as he noticed the haunting look on Lumina's face. "Few years ago, when Harry was in his firs' year... Unicorn died, righ' here in this clearing. It was You-Know-Who that killed tha' beau'iful creature. It happened when Harry was doin' detention with me, Malfoy, and a couple others. We were tryin' to find what was killin' the poor things."

Lumina was beginning to grow pale and she withdrew the gun from her right holster, clicking back the safety. Hagrid seemed to sense that something wasn't right with his friend, she was seeing something he couldn't...

"Where's the grave Hagrid?"

He swallowed back the tightness of this throat, his gaze focused on Lumina as she took a step toward the clearing. "I buried it here 'Mina... Didn't have the heart to move 'em..."

"Shit..." Lumina took in a breath and eased it out gently, a stream of silver easing from her nostrils. "Shit..."

She was watching the area across from which she stood, watching the ground as a gray mist was easing up from the ground. _Unicorn died here... Violent death... Innocence shed... so much despair..._

"Hagrid, I need you to grab these two and run for the castle as quick as you can. Get out of the forest."

The fear that Hagrid had been trying so hard to keep at bay began to rise at these words. He tried to talk some sense into his friend, trying to ignore his instincts that she was right. "'Mina, there's nothin' to worry about. You and Harry, even Malfoy, yer safe with me..."

She didn't say anything in reply. She shook her head and ran into the clearing, just as the Slytherin had thrust his shovel into a particular spot of earth...

…

"Just wait until my father hears about this! I can't believe I'm digging in the ground for some bloody plants like a bloody servant!"

Harry ignored his classmate as he gathered his own moon moss, throwing it and its dirt into the jar at his side. It had been going on like this for a few moments since they had started and Harry was in too foul of a mood to pay any attention to Malfoy's complaints. The moon moss was simple enough to gather once you knew where to look and it maintained its moonlit glow when placed in the jaw. Harry continued with his work as his thoughts wandered to the mysterious first task of the tournament, the troubling lack of response from his friend Ron after their mutual defense of Hermione...

He didn't notice Ms. Peacecraft until she was right on Malfoy's back and pulling him away from a part of the ground he had thrust his shovel into. It happened in the span of a heartbeat. One moment, there was a peaceful spot of ground and the next something had erupted from the very earth that Malfoy had thrust his shovel. Harry quickly scurried away from his own area as a high pitched wailing whinny filled the air.

"Get back!" Ms. Peacecraft had pushed Malfoy behind her and was protecting him from the creature that was pulling itself from the very earth. Harry had no idea what it could be but it resembled the unicorn he had seen in his first year. It's blinding white coat had faded to a dirty, murky gray while parts of its flesh was falling away, exposing its blackened ribs and bone structure. It's beautiful horn had darkened to a terrible mottled, gray-black in color and its eyes were nothing more than two pin pricks of blue light in sockets. It was some strange undead Unicorn and for the first time since dealing with dementors, Harry felt fear. This creature was like a dementor in some twisted way. Everything that was emanating from this creature could be described along the same lines. Despair, hopelessness...

Ms. Peacecraft didn't hesitate in trying to figure out how to deal with this creature. She aimed her guns and fired. It let out that horrible whinny as it was thrown back from the force of the bullets, two gaping holes appearing in its chest. It huffed and stumbled as it tried to regain its footing, the pin picks of blue light in its sockets flashing once. Ms. Peacecraft appeared to be growing more pale by the moment and a strange red glow was appearing beneath her blouse.

"Damn it! Run!" She turned and pushed Malfoy away from her just as the creature ran forward. Draco didn't need telling twice as he ran toward Hagrid, abandoning everything to fend on its own. The undead creature's mutated horn had found its mark and pierced Ms. Peacecraft through her right shoulder. She cried out as the creature lifted her up and threw her across the clearing. Harry didn't hesitate as he drew his wand and immediately pulled forth the happiest memory he could think of. "_Expecto Patronum!"_

At once, the silvery form of a stag erupted from his wand and charged down the undead creature, pushing it out of the clearing and into the depths of the trees. Harry ran toward Ms. Peacecraft's struggling form as she got to her feet, ignoring her injured shoulder as she holstered her right gun and remained armed with her left. Her chest was heaving as streams of silver mist emerged from her nose and mouth. She looked deathly pale as she kept an eye on edge of the clearing.

"Ms. Peacecraft, we have to get out of here." Harry tried to reach for her but she moved away from his touch, her glowing green eyes focusing on him as if seeing him for the first time.

"Harry, listen to me," she said, wincing as she took a few steps further into the clearing. "This creature is an animated corpse. The spirit of one so pure should never die such a violet death. It becomes restless. It thirsts on despair, hopelessness, revenge..." She scanned the trees, seeing something that Harry couldn't. "You, Hagrid, and Malfoy are connected to this unicorn's death in such a strong way it was able to awaken." She looked back at him and shook her head once. "Trust me on this one, none of you are safe. None of you are capable of ridding this spirit of its anguish. Go back to the castle and get the headmaster. If Hagrid is right about there being more killed, there will be more of these things around."

"But-"

"Hagrid, get Harry out of here!"

Harry didn't get a chance to protest further, he was soon being dragged by his collar away from the clearing by a very strong hand. He tried his best to fight against the groundskeeper's grip as he got one last look of the clearing. The undead Unicorn had stumbled its way back into the clearing and let loose a hair-raising neigh that he could feel to his very soul. Ms. Peacecraft was waiting for it as she pulled something from around her neck and stuck it in her pocket. Right away, a strange mist was easing from Ms. Peacecraft's form, her shivering growing as the creature pawed the ground and began to charge.

As he was dragged away from the clearing, a tangled mass of branches covered his view, a hail of loud, echoing bangs filled the clearing. Harry cried out for the staff's assistant, struggling against Hagrid's tight grip as he dragged him up the path.

"Hagrid! Put me down! That thing will kill her if we don't help her!"

"Harry, you're my priority righ' now," said Hagrid as he rushed down the path. It was clear that Draco Malfoy and Fang had long ago abandoned the forest and it was only the two of them making their way back to the castle. They had long since left the fork in the path and the sky could be seen through through the thinning canopy.

"Hagrid, we can't just leave her!"

The half giant man pulled Harry in front of him and he got a good look into the groundskeeper's black eyes. There were tears spilling from them and into his beard, his cheeks were flushed from the run or the emotion, he couldn't say. "You didn' see it, did ya?"

Harry didn't say a word in response, the haunted look in Hagrid's eyes was enough to stop any thought of going back. He had seen the creature all right and it was a nightmare come true for Harry, as equally bad as the dementors. He knew that Hagrid had feared the dementors from his time in Azkaban in Harry's third year. However, the sudden look of hopelessness on his face was something Harry could never forget.

"That thing... whatever it be... I never seen the likes of somethin' like that' before." His grip on Harry's collar grew tense, his face beginning to grow pale. "'Mina- Lumina- She knew tha' thing was there and she knew _exactly_ wha' it was. She _knows_ Death... Tha's somethin' that none o' us were suppose' to see. Somethin' tha' we livin' shouldn' see... She'll know how to send it back..."

"But-"

"We gotta get to the castle," said Hagrid, ignoring Harry's protest as he continued his long strides down the path, dragging the young wizard by the collar the whole way. "Dumbedore 'as to know... He'll fix this..."

…

The banging on his office door, followed by the yells of a teenage male, pulled Severus from his nightly grading of potions essays. Setting his quill aside, he waved a hand toward the door and it swung open of its own accord. Draco Malfoy stumbled into the office, looking paler than usual while his white blond hair fell about his forehead in a messy manner. He stared at his Head of House, his wand held tightly at his side as his chest heaved.

Severus frowned at his student and carefully clasped his elegant fingers together. "Draco, aren't you supposed to be in detention with Ms. Peacecraft? Has she let you out so soon?" He glanced at the clock, seeing the time to be just shy of midnight. It was a very short detention by his standards but perhaps Lumina liked to keep things short and to the point...

"Professor," panted Draco, his gray eyes were filled with unbridled fear as he pointed out the door and into the empty hall. "She- this dead creature- loud bangs-"

At the mention of a dead creature, Severus immediately stiffened and his dark eyes focused on his student. "What are you talking about Draco? Spit it out!"

Draco let out a breath, his wand trembling in his hand. "I was serving my detention with Potter in the forest. Ms. Peacecraft had taken us to a clearing to gather some moss. I've been to that clearing once before sir and believe me when I tell you I had no idea that this would happen-"

"Get to the point!" Severus hissed, the knuckles of his hands growing white from tension. Something had happened to Lumina, he just knew it...

"This dead thing had climbed out of the ground and attacked me! Ms. Peacecraft had pulled me out of the way and told me to run. I heard loud bangs, Potter and that groundskeeper were still there. I came to get you sir! You'd know how to kill that thing, right?" He looked worried, not simply because of the undead creature running about the grounds but for the safety of the woman who had apparently saved his life.

Severus was up from his chair in a heartbeat and making his way toward the door, a dangerous frown appearing on his pale face. "Where?"

"By the hut, there's a path. If you keep to the path and take the left at the fork, keep walking and you'll see it. But sir-"

"Go to your dorm room and don't breathe of word of what you have seen." Severus pushed Draco roughly from his office and into the corridor. He slammed the door behind him and pointed a finger in Draco's face. "Not a word to anyone."

Draco swallowed and gave a nod before turning and disappearing up the corridor toward the Slytherin common room. Severus immediately brandished his wand as he rushed through the dungeon corridor and up the narrow stairwell to the entrance hall. His black robes billowed behind him as he rushed through the front doors and out onto the grounds. He was halfway down when he caught sight of the groundskeeper with Potter hot on the man's heels. Hagrid paused when Severus was close enough to the giant, who was panting heavily.

"Where is she!" He snarled, the worry beginning to gnaw away at the crack in his defenses.

"She told us to run, didn' want us near that thing." Hagrid was looking haunted, his beetle black eyes had lost of their twinkle.

"Professor, you have to help her! There was this mist coming from-"

"I know Potter," the Potions Master said, his dark eyes focusing on the son of his rival. The son of his only love... The son of who had been his only love before those walls began to crack... "Get the headmaster, I will find her and bring her back."

He didn't wait for a response as he hurried to the edge of the forest, praying to all the gods above that he wasn't too late...

…

_Damn this cold..._

The undead Unicorn was riddled with bullet holes and could barely move since two of its legs had been shot clean off. It had managed to impale her for a second time, this time leaving a deep gash on her leg as she tried to leap out of the way. She limped around the clearing, the call of death drawing her closer to the border as the creature struggled to get to her. She was the link, the purest channel from death to life... It had to get to her... It wasn't human though, so it could not use her as well as a ghost could. She would give the spirit peace from its despair. She had to...

The undead Unicorn let out a heart piercing cry as it tried to get to her, its soulless face aching with despair and hopelessness... She holstered her gun before she pulled the heavy silver coin from her pocket. She clasped it tightly in her hand, allowing the searing heat to keep her grounded within life. She could feel the little green bottle that she kept on the leather cord around her neck, the potion that would keep her body well warmed. A gift from Severus in case she was in need... Thank Merlin for his thoughtfulness...

She limped toward the creature and kneeled close to it as it tried to reach to her. She closed her eyes, allowing the brush of the Veil to part at the gentlest nudge from her. Clasping her coin tightly in her left hand, two fingers brushed against the cold and dead flesh of the unicorn's muzzle. She didn't see the pin picks of blue light flash once more in its empty sockets before going completely black. The undead creature slumped amongst the grass and unpicked moon moss, its nose resting a few inches from her knee.

Lumina trembled as she felt the despair and hopelessness, the anger and hatred, travel through her. The spirit that ached with revenge disappeared through the Veil. Nothing on the other side wished to use her as a channel at the moment. Not after the darkness that she had pulled through her...

This was how Severus found her as he broke through the brush and into the clearing. She was slumped beside the corpse of a dead unicorn, her black hair fanned out against the silvery glow of a patch of undisturbed moon moss. Her skunk stripe covered her face from view and he could feel the dread filling every part of him a the sight of it. He rushed across the clearing and to her side, taking her cold form into his arms. He ignored the corpse, knowing that the thing was truly dead now. He could see the paleness gripping her features, the silver mist easing from her trembling form.

"Lumina," he whispered, setting his wand aside before placing a warm hand against her cold cheek. Her glowing green eyes stared out at nothing, he could see that she clenched her silver coin in her left hand, the metal glowing red with heat. He kept the fear at bay, remembering that she had kept the potion he had given her close at hand. He searched her neck and found the leather cord. He pulled the bottle out and ripped it from its knot around her neck. He gripped the tiny cork between his teeth and pulled it out before tilting her head back and pouring the hot contents down her throat.

"Please Lumina..." he mumbled to her, spitting out the cork as he threw the empty bottle aside. She had swallowed the potion and all at once the color had rushed into her face. He glanced down at the glowing silver coin in her hand before he took the heavy coin and carefully placed the chain around her neck. He picked up his wand and placed the coin against her skin before muttering the spell he had heard Dumbledore use that terrible night weeks prior. "_Incalfacio."_

The coin immediately returned to normal and the mist that eased from her nostrils and parted lips ceased. Her haunting eyes became focused and her gaze traveled up to lock with his dark orbs. Silence passed between them before a soft smile touched Lumina's lips. "Severus..."

He ignored the warmth he felt in his heart, ignored the way she fit so wonderfully in his arms. He swallowed back the tightness in his throat, not trusting himself to speak. The only indication of his worry was the tightening of his arm around her shoulder and the gentle brush of his elegant fingers as he pulled away white strands of hair from her brow. She seemed content in the silence, her smile remaining as he lifted her from the ground and began to carry her back to the school...


	19. Chapter 19

_Chapter 19_

The sight of a playground greeted her vision...

A set of swings were gently swaying to a non existent breeze. The slide and the merry-go-round seemed to be distant, though they were not more than a yard or two from where she stood. The sunlight that streamed down to warm the deserted playground could not be felt and a shimmering aura touched the green grass around her bare feet.

She took a step forward, her emerald eyes scanning the surrounding trees and shrubs. This place was not familiar to her and yet there was something in the air. This place was dear to someone she knew...

An echo of children's laughter reached her and she turned around, her gray dress gently brushing along the grass. She caught sight of a very pretty redheaded girl and a stringy, small boy with overlong black hair lying in the grass underneath the shade of some trees. They were whispering to each other, excitement showing in the girl's green eyes while a sort of hunger could be seen in the boy's dark ones. It was obvious to the woman that the boy craved greatly for the girl's affection. She moved closer toward the children, knowing that this was but an echo of what once was... They would not notice her.

"I should have noticed even then how much he cared for me..."

Lumina did not jump as she felt another presence make itself known on her left side. Her raven hair hung loose about her shoulders, a full head of hair that was now devoid of its usual white stripe. She curled her fingers into the fabric of her dress, glancing over to her left to see that the older version of the redheaded girl. The woman who stood beside her still bore the long, dark red hair and the beautiful emerald green eyes that reminded Lumina so much of her mother's. There was love there and a lingering sadness in her eyes though she seemed so young, no more then in her very early twenties.

The echo of the children faded from the playground as the woman turned and made her way toward the swing set, the skirt of her white dress flowing about her bare feet. Her graceful fingers lingered over the chains of the swing before she sat down, her eyes meeting Lumina's. "You're breaking through to him you know." She smiled at that, a beautiful smile that reached her almond shaped eyes. "He despises you for that..." She gently began to swing back and forth, her toes digging into the soft sand.

Lumina said nothing, she had a vague idea as to who she was speaking of. The small boy with the long hair had been terribly familiar after all. The hunger she had seen on his young face was something she had seen several times before. It had been directed to her on those occasions when he would look into her eyes, a gentle echo of what he still felt for this woman. Lumina moved toward the swings and gently sat down on the one beside the woman, her fingers curling around the chains. "I don't understand..."

The woman paused in her movements and looked over at Lumina, her red locks falling about her ivory face. "You're making him care. He hasn't cared for anyone in so long..."

Lumina closed her eyes, allowing those words to sing deep into her heart of hearts. _This had been his only true friend, his only love... _The knowledge of who this woman was made itself known and a gentle gasp escaped Lumina's parted lips. She looked at the woman beside her, seeing her as if for the first time.

The woman smiled as she began to swing back and forth, throwing her head back so that her long hair swayed with her gentle movements. "Take care of him for me? I know he still has a heart buried somewhere down underneath all of that cold darkness."

Lumina's grip tightened on the chains, gentle tears welling in her eyes. "I barely know him... " The memory of how he had looked at her moments before she had slipped away into the border played in her mind. The worry and concern in his black eyes, the feel of his arms around her...

"It's all right to be afraid. He is too..." A gentle hand reached out to tuck the raven hair behind Lumina's ear. "I felt that way with James the first time... I was afraid of what I felt for him. He wasn't what I wanted, what I thought I was looking for at the time... but..."

Lumina looked at the woman beside her and she could see the wistful look on her beautiful face. Identical green eyes met and the woman gave a beautiful smile. "He needed me and I needed him and because of that I was blessed with a love that lasted well beyond my own life."

"Severus loves you. He will only ever love you, Lily." For some reason, saying this aloud caused a pain within her own heart and she flinched.

"There may have been a time when that was true." Lily Potter smiled at the haunted woman, noting the constant sad look that plagued her. "Now... well, you'll just have to see."

"What happened to me?" Lumina asked after a moment of silence. She began to move her swing, her own feet making gentle circles in the sand. "I don't remember falling through the Veil."

Lily continued to swing back and forth, kicking up her feet against the soft sand, the grains glittering like diamonds against the ethereal sunlight. "You've finally opened yourself as a channel. You've willingly embraced the link that was thrust upon you as a vessel between life and death. Your body will take time to adjust to the change. Until then you soul shall be safe here on the border."

Silence fell again and Lumina allowed a small smile to appear. She looked at Lily and a gentle sigh eased past her lips. "Your son has your eyes..."

Lily smiled at that and she nodded. "Considering how much he looks like James, I am glad."

They continued to swing back and forth on the swings, the shimmering light that played about the blades of grass continuing to give an ethereal feel...

…

It happened the moment Severus was rushing down the path that led out of the Forbidden Forest. Lumina was clinging to him as he carried her carefully, moving as quickly as he could. He had glanced down at her to catch sight of the tender smile on her full lips before a gentle gasp escaped her. Her green eyes grew wide, the ghostly silver of her pupils flashing once...

"Lumina?" He paused in his movements, watching as her hold on him grew slack and her head fell away to loll over his arm. "Lumina!" He immediately lowered her to the ground, being careful to keep her as close as possible to his warmth. Her skin was beginning to grow pale and the mist that lingered around the path began to slowly encircle them.

A flash of ethereal white appeared in the corner of his eyes and he glanced to find that nothing was there. He carefully drew his wand while keeping a firm arm around Lumina's still form. His dark eyes darted around the trees, his dark hair swaying with each movement of his head. Another flash of ethereal white from the corner of his eyes...

He turned his head and paused in surprise. A horn was aimed just a few inches shy of his hooked nose, a pair of golden eyes staring straight into his. He could sense that he was surrounded, the magic that emanated from unicorns was unique, aside from that of young children. It was pure and innocent compared to the rest of the beings that called this forest their home. He stared into the golden eyes of the unicorn, his arms tightening around the cold form of Lumina...

"Let her go."

Severus' dark eyes glanced beyond the unicorn in front of him. The tall form of a centaur emerged from the trees and onto the path. He bore a head of silvery blond hair and his body was that of a palomino. The name Firenze came to mind, one of the few centaurs that were on somewhat friendly terms with the humans. The centaur's blue eyes remained on the unicorn in front of the potions master as he carefully moved around the male unicorn toward the human. "They want her. Let her go."

Severus quickly glanced around him, catching sight of the herd of five other unicorns. They were watching the human with interested eyes, colors varying from golden to butterscotch. A unicorn emerged from the group and approached the human. She let out a huff and gently nuzzled the dark hair of the haunted female in his arms. This was the lead mare and she had seen what the human female had done for their dead and cursed sister. She wanted the human to help with their brother, who had fallen at the same time when that evil creature had stalked their forest several years before.

"They will care for her. Their magic is more pure than a human's. Trust them to heal her." Firenze had moved closer to Severus, who was watching the female unicorn. The look on his face was torn, he was protective of Lumina for reasons that were beyond him but he knew that there was nothing he, nor Albus, could do for her at the moment. If there was a chance the unicorns could heal her curse...

Reluctantly, he loosened his hold on Lumina and grit his teeth to refrain from saying anything that might offend these beautiful creatures. They were going to help Lumina and she needed the help. He watched as Firenze kneeled down and took Lumina's shivering form in his arms. The lead mare of the unicorn herd moved along side the centaur, who gently placed the human female face down upon the unicorn's back. Lumina's arms and legs dangled over the sides of the unicorn's body, her dark hair swaying from side to side as the lead mare began to canter off into the trees. The rest of her herd followed after her, save for the stallion, which had kept his horn aimed at the human male. A few moments passed before the stallion raised his regal head and eyed the potions master before turning and disappearing after his herd.

"Do not worry Professor. Your mate will be returned to you when she has healed." Firenze said before he turned and ran deeper into the forest, leaving a somewhat stunned potions master behind on the mist filled path.

The sallow skinned man wondered what had transpired and he vaguely wondered why it was that the centaur had assumed Lumina was his mate? He gracefully got to his feet, the troubled frown on his face the only indication of what had happened. He stared at the trees that the herd of unicorns had disappeared through before he turned on his heel and slowly made his way out of the forest and back to the castle...

…

"Where is she, Severus?"

The moment he had entered into the entrance hall, he was greeted by the headmaster. He said nothing to Dumbledore as he glanced at the old man, the tired look on his face was enough of a reaction. He clenched his fists and stared into the man's blue eyes, now devoid of any twinkle.

Dumbledore let loose a gentle sigh as the silence stretched too long and he raised a hand to stroke his long silver beard. "It would seem the forest had claimed her..."

"Not so much the forest as the pure creatures in it," said Severus in reply, walking closer toward the headmaster. "The unicorns needed her. That centaur friend of yours said that they would heal her..." He trailed off, his dark eyes filling with a reluctant emotion. It looked close to being hope, hope for the woman who had managed to strike through the walls around his heart.

Dumbledore studied the younger man and placed a hand over his mouth in an act to resemble he was thinking. In all honesty, the old headmaster was delighted to see that Severus' affection toward Lumina had deepened considerably since their disagreement the day before. His smile was just too great to refrain. "Firenze would not lie. The unicorns have a magic unlike anything we wizards could ever understand. The chances of her curse being healed will be much greater." He reached out and placed a firm hand on Severus' shoulder. "There is nothing we can do at the moment. She will return to us when she has healed. In the mean time Severus, I suggest you head off to bed for the night. It is getting rather late."

The potions master said nothing in reply. He simply gave a nod in acknowledgment before he moved away from the headmaster and walked swiftly toward the narrow staircase. The hem of his black robes were the last to be seen as he swept down the staircase. Dumbledore simply stared after him before glancing thoughtfully to the front doors...

…

A shudder passed through her and she paused in her swinging, her green eyes going slightly unfocused. She slumped a little in her swing and felt Lily's hands bracing her by the shoulders. She shivered slightly before the terribly anguished and hopeless feeling that had touched her soul disappeared. She sighed softly as her spirit began to feel more at ease and she lifted her head to smile at her new friend. "Sorry about that Lily. It seems my body was used as a channel for something undead."

Lily only smiled in reply as she removed her hands from Lumina and held onto the chains of her own swing. "It was about time."

"Hm?" Lumina frowned gently in confusion, that statement not making any sense to her. "What do you mean?"

Lily didn't respond, she simply glanced toward the right to watch the thicket of trees and shrubs that nearly surrounded this ghostly playground. Lumina studied Harry's mother for a moment before the sound of a heartfelt whinny reached her ears. She looked to where Lily was watching, catching the sight of two beautiful unicorns. They were racing out of the trees and into the clearing, one chasing the other. One of the unicorns had a goatee, a sign that it was a male, and it chased after its female with carefree abandon.

The two women watched as the unicorns chased after one another, lost in their own games. It was quite some time before the unicorns slowed in their playing and stopped to watch the women on the swings. Both of the unicorns studied the women before they trotted over to them. The male and female stopped in front of Lumina and gently lowered their heads, their horns crossing over one another. Lumina barely managed a soft gasp as the unicorns thrust their heads forward, their horns piercing to the heart of her spirit.

With a crack, the two horns broke from their respective owners and began to shimmer with a golden light. They slowly began to absorb into the her spirit, the pure magic that had been the unicorns' in life becoming one with her. Lumina once again slumped on her swing, held up by the firm hand of Lily Potter, as the magic of this mated pair coursed through her. She shivered at the feel of the warmth that touched her soul.

"What was...?"

"It'll be time soon," was all Lily said in reply as the two unicorns turned swiftly and raced off into the the trees. The border that lead further into death was in that direction and the unicorns disappeared beyond that border. Lily smiled at Lumina as she released her new friend and stood up from her swing. "I'm going to need your help Lumina. You're the only closest link between my son and me."

Lumina frowned lightly, still reeling from the feel of the unicorns' pure magic merging with her own spirit. It was warm and so wonderfully sweet, like the feel of bright sunlight on a cold day. She wasn't entirely too sure of what had happened but then again so many strange things have happened in her lifetime. "I'm a living channel between life and death." She studied Lily Potter's eyes, the shade of green identical to her own. "Trouble is brewing for Harry. His name was picked from the Goblet of Fire. It is a binding magical contract stating that he must compete for the Triwizard Tournament for all three tasks."

Lily's sweet smile had faded at this point and she gave a grave nod. "I'm afraid that the followers of Voldemort are still trying to kill my only son. At this point they may even succeed. That dark wizard had committed many horrible crimes against his own soul. There is no true way for him to die but that does not mean he can fully evade the call of it."

"You-Know-Who is still running around the living world?" Lumina's eyes grew wide at this, a stab of fear piercing her heart. She had not been "alive" during Voldemort's reign of terror but she had heard the stories after her mother's sacrifice had awoken her from her ghost-like state. What had happened to the squibs during those dark years...

She suppressed a shudder and a deep frown appeared on her face. "He is planning something to do with your son. The tournament..."

"It's a perfect opportunity to catch my son off his guard." Lily moved closer to Lumina and kneeled down in front of her. "Harry has managed to beat Voldemort three times so far and he only succeeded once in sending a piece of that evil man's soul into death. I fear this time may not work in his favor." She reached out and took Lumina's hand in her own, her almond shaped eyes pleading. "My son has to live. He's not ready to face Voldemort head on, not at this moment. For reasons I understand, and at the same time, cannot help but be angry about, Albus Dumbledore has kept my son from learning the truth. The truth as to why that dark wizard had targeted him, had targeted my family."

Lumina closed her eyes, feeling the memories of the reason why James and Lily Potter had gone into hiding easing their way into her own. She opened her eyes and glanced at Lily, the shock of the prophecy making itself clear. "That can be interpreted in so many ways and Harry surely can't be the only child who had been born at that time."

Lily nodded in agreement as her hold tightened on Lumina's hands. "There were the Longbottoms. Their son was born a day before Harry. They were good friends of ours and they did all they could to stand against the tyranny of Voldmort's Death Eaters." Her eyes took on a misty quality and she blinked once before letting loose a gentle sigh. "However, he marked Harry as the child and so..."

"Self-fulfilling..." Lumina shook her head, the silence that followed was tense. It lasted for either a few moments or a few hours, she couldn't say. Time was funny on the boundaries of life and death.

Despite the length of time, Lily looked up at her new friend and leaned slightly closer, the look in her eyes somewhat desperate. "Lumina, I beg of you. Take me with you back to life. I have to protect my son."

Lumina knew that if she were breathing right now in her spirit form, her breath would have gotten stuck in her throat. "What? But... I've never opened myself to bring any spirit willingly _back. _Death _himself_ would not be so willing to allow me such a discretion without penalties. My very existence defies _him._" Lumina paused at this, knowing full well how the master of death hated to lose a victim. Lumina was one that constantly teetered just beyond _his_ reach...

"Do you think _he_ would have let you go so far in life if _he _had not wanted you for _his_ own? You are, in essence, _his _child. You managed to bring those that had been kept from _him _back to _him_. Those which have tried to avoid death, you have brought straight to _him." _Lily reached up to gently brush away the raven dark hair from Lumina's brow. "_He_ had chosen youas _his_ own. Do not think that your existence was nothing more than a fluke."

Those words stunned Lumina into silence, taking in the fact that Death might have in fact wanted her as a link. Was it possible? Shaking this troubling thought, she focused on Lily and frowned. "What of James? Is he coming with you?"

Lily opened her mouth to reply but paused, as if having thought better of it, and gently shook her head. "Not at the moment. He will but... not now."

The look on Lumina's face remained thoughtful as she mulled over what had been discussed. She did have a soft spot for Harry, whether she admitted it or not, and here was his mother begging to help her son. In the middle of these thoughts, the one person that she was most worried of was Severus. He would know right away that something would be off with her. Especially if she began to have characteristics of his lost love...

"We will deal with Sev when the time comes," said Lily as she rose to her feet and pulled Lumina up with her. "Does this mean you will help me? For Harry's sake..."

Lumina kept her mouth firmly closed but she gave a firm not in agreement. She would bring Lily back with her... What would come of it, she had no idea. However, if Death had no qualms with bringing the soul of a deceased witch back with her then it must be what _he _wanted to happen...

The smile that lit Lily's beautiful face was enough to tell the squib that she was doing the right thing. After a moment's hesitation, both women with identical emerald eyes held one another's hand and began the slow trek to the boundary that led back to life.


	20. Chapter 20

_(A/n) And here are where things take a turn, a far more left turn than it already had, from canon storyline. Thanks for all the favs and alerts. Goodness this story has been going on awhile, hasn't it? Ah well, I go where my plot bunny takes me and lately I wanted to really put Lumina's link with Death to good use. Having Lily use her to come back to the world of the living seems a good plot point to me._

* * *

**Chapter 20**_  
_

_I never want this to go unsaid,  
So here in this poem, is for it to be said.  
There are no words to express how much you mean to me,  
A son like you, I thought could never be.  
Because the day you were born, I just knew,  
God sent me a blessing- and that was you._

_~Never Unsaid – _©Valerie Capasso

_.oOo._

The first thing that Lumina was aware of was the feeling of something nuzzling her hair. A huff of sweet breath fanned across her cheek and she stirred gently; the feeling of her aching muscles a faint surprise. She was alive? Of course she was alive... Death was always close but it never stole her life thanks to her mother's sacrifice.

_'Lumina, wake up.'_

A voice spoke to her, a vaguely familiar voice that seemed to have replace the one her conscience normally occupied. Another nuzzle against her hair brought her more to the waking world. Another huff of sweet breath against her cheek had her eyes fluttering open and a reluctant smile came to her lips. She found herself staring into a pair of golden eyes, which were set into the unmistakable visage of a female unicorn.

_'Good, you're awake. Now we can see where we are and get our bearings straight...'_

Lumina thought at first that it was the unicorn that spoke to her. However, that was just silly to think of. Why would a unicorn speak to her? They normally tried to avoid her thanks to her link with death.

_'Lumi, get up! We can't do anything for Harry if you continue to stare all starry-eyed at that unicorn'._

At the mention of the unicorn in the voice she had thought should have belonged to it, Lumina abruptly sat up and let out huff in breath. She knew that voice. It had begged for her help. It had urged her to bring her back to life...

"Lily?"

She had the sudden urge to smile and she did. However, it was not of her own emotions. There was someone else in her that prompted this response, someone she had promised to bring back to life with her...

_'Thank Merlin! I thought it would take a little longer for you to realize.'_

"This is so weird," she said as the smile disappeared and she once more had control over her facial muscles. "I didn't know it would be like this..."

_'Well, it is a first for me as well. I would have never imagined I would see life again. Let alone it be within the body of someone else.'_

Lumina smirked at this, this gesture completely of her own movement, before she slowly moved her limbs and adjoining digits to make sure everything was in working order. She slowly sat up and felt the warm ground that had been supporting her adjust itself to allow her the movement. She turned her head and found the unicorn mare from before watching her with golden eyes that were filled with tranquil peace. The mare had been supporting Lumina's frame, keeping it warm and safe while her soul had been harbored in the one of the boundaries.

The unicorn whinnied softly and reached out to nibble on a lock of her raven hair. A gentle laugh escaped Lumina's lips as she gently reached out to stroke the pure white mane of the mare in return. A neigh caught her attention and she looked away from the mare she had been petting, finding an entire herd of unicorns staring at her with various shades of golden eyes. Her hand slowly fell away from the mare as she stared at the herd with a rising sense of surprise.

"This is their herd... The mated couple who had crossed the boundary..."

_'Yes. You had saved the souls of their fallen brother and sister from an eternity of haunted despair. It's only fair that they should care of you in your time of need.' _

"That mated pair... Their horns had broken away from them and-"

_'Their magic now lives on in you. That was their gift in thanks. They trust you will use that healing power for nothing but good. In essence, you are not _quite_ a squib anymore.'_

"I don't understand Lily."

_'Oh, I'm not so sure myself of how their magic would work for you as a human but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. In the mean time, how are you feeling? Can you stand? We really must get out of this forest. The sooner we can get to Godric's Hollow, the better.'_

Lumina shakily got to her feet as she glanced around, noting that the unicorns were following her every movement. They followed her with every ungraceful step that she made, like a newborn colt making its very first steps in life. They ensured that she did not stumble too much and were there for support as she swayed from side to side.

It was a strange sensation to have another consciousness active within her mind and an even stranger sensation to have her own body twitching and shaking from the effort of wanting to listen to both souls that it harbored. Lumina finally gave a huff in annoyance as she gave up the effort to take control of her body and allowed the part of her that carried Lily Potter to work with what she apparently could not. As a result, her body immediately fell to one side before it was caught by the lead mare, who had been anxiously following alongside of her like her own mother. The mare whinnied in encouragement and pushed Lumina to try again.

'_Your body will not listen to me, though it wishes to in order to balance everything out. You are the __main soul it carries so it will look to you for direction. Only when you _truly _allow me control will it listen to me, as it had when you expected a response from me earlier.'_

True to Lily's words, her body began to respond as Lumina resumed her normal thoughts and control as she had before Lily had become a part of her. As a test, Lumina willed to Lily to control her body to ease the transition of two souls sharing one vessel. It was a strange sensation to feel her mind disconnecting with her own body and yet still being able to retain her senses. While Lily took control of walking, her own movements more wobbly than Lumina's, Lumina was along for the ride. It felt like one of those muggle roller coaster rides, where you had no control of direction or speed but you still felt the intense sensations of the trip as a mere passenger.

It took some time getting used to but the more time that passed for the two souls to practice moving in one body, the better they became at it. With the unicorns there to offer support, it became an easy enough venture for Lumina to maintain the strongest side of her mind while Lily took to the other that had been her own in life. It helped that Lumina was ambidextrous but she had better control over her left hand, since it was her writing hand. Lily Potter was strongest in her right hand. With this understanding, the two women were able to balance out control of Lumina's body and maintain an upright position with little wobbling or shaky limbs.

Lumina let out a much happy sigh the moment that she had traversed the unicorn clearing with no stumbling for a few laps. Lily was equally as happy and voiced her earlier thought in finding a way to Godric's Hollow now that the immediate crisis was averted. Lumina felt a light frown on her face at the strange thought of traveling to the place of Lily's death. The result of that was the left side of her mouth turning down and her left brow furrowing slightly while her right side maintained its neutral expression. It was a comical sight to be sure and Lily was fully aware of it, her laughing thoughts filling Lumina's mind.

Lumina ignored her new friend's laughter at her expense and concentrated on the question at hand. "Lily, why do we need to go to Godric's Hollow? I thought you wanted to see Harry."

At this question, Lily's laughter ceased and a sense of melancholy touched Lumina, '_I do want to see Harry. More than anything do I wish to see him, even if it's not with my own eyes. I want to hold him, even if it's not with my own arms. I want to tell him that I am proud of him and that I love him, even if it would not be with my own voice.' _She paused at this and Lumina could sense the aching sadness that Lily carried within her soul, even so long after her death. '_My son is my all. I want to be there with him now that he is so close. However, I cannot help him as I am now. I need to get to a stronger position. Right now he is bound by forces that wish to control his direction in life. There are two main forces that are working against him. That of the Dark Lord and that of Albus Dumbledore.'_

"What? But Dumbledore cares for Harry... He wouldn't wish to hurt him..."

_'Not intentionally. However, he knows the prophecy and has kept it from Harry all of these years. If his interpretation of the prophecy is correct than he would know Harry is the key to Voldemort's complete destruction. He had his suspicions since Harry's second year of how Voldemort had maintained his hold on life and how Harry had survived that Halloween night...'_

Lumina did not respond to this as the sudden thoughts of Dumbledore's actions as of late had shown through. He was not a mean soul, nor a bad one, but he was imperfect. It was not beyond Dumbledore to wish a person he cared for as a normal a life as possible, even if it meant that they remained ignorant as long as possible. Instead of allowing the responsibility of the knowledge that Voldemort's true death could only be reached at Harry's hands, even at such a young age, he wanted James and Lily's son to be as happy as he possibly could with the limited time that he had. Though the path he placed Harry on would strongly lead to the young boy's death, even if it meant Voldemort's final true death. And who was Dumbledore to say his interpretation of the prophecy was correct? There was a good chance it could still mean the Longbottom boy, even if it was Harry who was titled as the Boy-Who-Lived.

As his mother, Lily did not want to see her only son to be placed on this path. If there was a way for her son to survive, it would mean interfering with whatever forces at work had planned. The fact that her underage son was part of the Tri-Wizard tournament meant that the stage was being set. Voldemort was slowly but surely gathering his forces and his strength, his aim would be to harm the one person who struck him down. Lily Potter had no doubts that there was an inner spy working against her son right under the very nose of the Headmaster. They would have to be exceedingly skilled at Occlumency to avoid the suspicions of the Headmaster himself, who was skilled at Legilimency. The only question was who it was...

'_I feel that the best course of action is to get Harry as much help as possible. Right now he is bound to a magical contract that he did not even agree to. The First Task has not taken place yet and that means we still have time to help him from binding himself further.'_

"How would we do that?"

At this point, the right side of Lumina's face rose up in a smile, the simple statement of "we" having brought Lily's spirits to lighten. _'We would need his guardian to fight against the contract. His guardian would have to be his family by blood and magical by default. At this time, Dumbledore acts as his magical guardian since no immediate magical family is alive. However, he cannot openly fight against the magical contract since he is not family by blood.'_

"But, what of your sister and your nephew?" Lumina voiced the thought Lily shared with her of her only blood relatives still alive, her older sister Petunia Dursley and her only nephew, Dudley.

_'They are muggles. Tuney had not shown signs of any of the magical genes that I had from our parents. As for my nephew, with a father like Vernon, any magical genes that did pass on from my sister would have been obliterated by _that_ man's seed.'_ The disgust could be heard in Lily's voice. Whatever love she still felt for her sister did not extend toward that of her brother-in-law._ 'Neither would be of any help to Harry by themselves.'_

"All right, then what other options do we have at this point?"

Lumina had, by this time, willed the full control of her body to Lily, who had immediately taken it and began to pace back and forth. She needed this. This little gesture was enough to help her control her troubled thoughts and therapeutic in the sense that it made her feel human again. Lumina simply focused on the Lily's thoughts as they traveled through their shared mind. '_To be honest, this is as new to me as it is to you. I never thought that I would have the chance to help Harry as I so fervently wished to before my death. It seems that Death does not wish to wait for Voldemort's soul any longer than _he_ has to. _He_ has taken action and chosen you as the implement to help deliver all of the pieces of Voldemort's soul straight to him, as you had with other wandering souls in the past. In any case, without you I would not be here so I am grateful that things had come to pass as they had. If your father had not done what he had...'_

"My father had sentenced me to a half life," Lumina said in a growl, sudden anger rising at the thought of her father. "It would have been a cursed life if he had succeeded." She immediately regretted the anger and quickly sent a thought to Lily that it was not her that Lumina's anger was toward. Lily was as graceful as her namesake and she shared her understanding and no ill feelings to her new friend for the anger.

_'Your father had made a mistake, that is true. However, your mother had rectified that mistake and helped you to maintain your place in the world of the living.'_

"She took my place Lily," said Lumina, the anguish in her heart causing the long forgotten silver coin upon her breast to grow faintly warm in response. She grasped the coin in her left hand and held it tightly. "Her soul is stuck in the cold boundary of the Veil, where I had been for many years of my young life before she sacrificed herself." She took in a much needed breath and Lily relinquished full control of their shared body to her. Lumina now began to pace the clearing in frustration. "She is _stuck_ there. I have no way of getting her out accept to take that place again. If I did that, it would mean her sacrifice was in vain and she wouldn't forgive me for throwing away her gift. If I can make that mirror again, there's a chance I can save her..."

'_You _will_ have your chance Lumina, as I had been given mine. I'll help you in your endeavor to save your mother if you will help me to save my son.'_

At these words, Lumina felt a calm that she had not felt in many years. Not since her childhood, before it was found that she was squib. Perhaps things did have a way of working out. If she had not taken the path that she had, she would have never come to Hogwarts. If she had not come, she would have never willingly opened herself as a channel for the wayward souls of two haunted unicorns. And if _that_ had not come to pass, she would not be bearing the soul of Lily Potter. With Lily in the picture now, who knew where this strange weaving of stories would come to?

All of these things had tied itself in such a way that Lumina felt in awe and almost humbled. She would have almost believed that this was part of some grander plan that tied with the prophecy Dumbledore believed so fervently in. However, Lumina was not one to believe so easily, not with so many choices that could come into play. All of this that had happened thus far was simply a long string of coincidences as far as she was concerned. Still, Death was quite a player in the grander scheme of things. Who knew for sure if this was not _his_ way of getting the one soul that had evaded him all these years?

"All right, so we'll Godric's Hollow. What exactly are we going to do there?"

At this, Lumina felt Lily smiling as they both took control of their respective sides and began to walk in unison toward the lead mare, who waited for them with the proud look of any mother seeing their young one walking on their own. _'Well, first things first, I will need to get my wand back. It was left buried with my body. I won't be able to a thing without it.'_

Lumina nearly stumbled at this statement and her shock was seen clearly on the left side of her face. "Y-your wand? Why on Merlin's beard would you need your wand? I can't do any magic!"

Lily's laughter was felt as the lead mare took up one side of Lumina and began to lead them toward the path that led out of the Forbidden forest.

_'Yes that is true, you can't do magic on your own. However, _I _still_ _can.'_


End file.
